SFBI
by Dark Moon Crystales
Summary: Crimes, investigation and love drama between the three swordsmen. BxB
1. Femme Fatales Part 01 Not a Suicide

S.F.B.I.

WARNING! This fic is about boys in love with boys, meaning this fic is plain gay. Yes, two men in love with each other. If you don't like shounen-ai, do not read. No one's making you. Just go back and find another fic to read. Thank you. If you still want to flame me, go ahead.

Author: Dark Moon Crystales

Summary: Link loves Roy, and in a way, Roy loves Link, but he just doesn't want to accept it. Working in the same place, in the same office always leads to juicy moments alone Link wouldn't let go to waste… [CSI:ish, yaoi-goodness!]

Music: Nek - Tu Sei, Tu Sai

Notes: Hello, everyone again. It really took me this long to write a C.S.I./SSBM crossover! Anyway, all your wonderful e-mails and reviews have kept me working although at times I've given up, thinking that I'll never be able to write anything as good as C.S.I. Well, you tell me what do you think? Also, because I paired Marth with Roy in the Inquisition because of reasons I can't say yet, I'm going to make this Link/Roy.

This story is dedicated to Sagesumi, without her I don't think I would've ever finished the Smash Files and I don't think I would've ever finished any of my stories back then. Sagesumi, if you're reading this, I need to _thank you. _From the bottom of my heart. You always said I must be annoyed to receive a review from you, but I really _did love _reading your long reviews. I wish you everything good and hope that flower petals will cover the road you walk in your life.

All of my reviewers had their effect on me and have pushed me forward, I'm very grateful to you too. Every single one of you has really helped me, sometimes a little less, sometimes a lot more. Thank you for your support!

For news about my stories, previews and extras, check out my website! The address can be found in my profile.

Woo. Talk about long author's notes. Sorry for this, I promise to shut up next time!

---

EPISODE 01: Femmes Fatales Part 01 Not a Suicide

---

"You here?" Roy knocked on the door, leaning against the wall next to him, waiting for Link to reply.

"Yeah." The elf answered, browsing through the file cabinet, obviously trying to find something.

"Got a moment?"

"Always for you." The Hylian lifted his eyes from the cabinet, holding a folder he had been looking for and turned to face him. "As long as it's not work."

"Sadly, it is." The redheaded teen answered, taking a seat opposite his working table. "Do you remember Mr. Ueda, the one who created Ueda Secure Program?"

Link sighed, dropping the file on his table and sitting down in his chair, lifting his boots on the table. "He's the one with the freaky 70's-style glasses, huh?"

"Yeah…" The general admitted, looking a little around as Link thought. The room was a small one, messy as hell would've breaken loose in there, in the air was a pungent of pine, probably from the air refreshener over the register. The table Link had wasn't actually a table, it was an old door, put on top of two small file cabinets. Not much but better than nothing.

"I remember him." The Hero answered, smiling. "With those glasses he doesn't need a windshield in his car, trust me."

Roy chuckled, imagining a picture of Mr. Ueda with a windshield on his nose.

"Anyway, what about him?"

"He's been killed near harbour, multiple stabbing wounds in his chest. He must be very good at doing a suicide if he's been able to cause these to himself." The redhead gave Link a few pictures taken of the body, his chest was filled with deep wounds, no one could've killed themselves like that.

"I wouldn't even think about suicide, seeing all those wounds."

"Well, his wife says it was a _suicide._"

"What?"

"No one asked any questions. Ruled as a suicide. Simple as that."

"Suspicious, huh?"

"That's what I'm thinking. There's something here they aren't telling everyone. The pictures weren't even given to the newspapers."

"Why would it be ruled as a suicide when it clearly isn't one?"

"Maybe there's something to hide? Something they wouldn't let us know…" The redhead concluded, rubbing his chin with his thumb, looking out through the window.

"It's got to be pretty classified."

"That's our case." The redhead said calmly, taking the pictures back from the elf, flashing a smile. "Boss thinks it's a murder."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Link hopped off his chair and walked to the door, looking back at the boy, waggling his eyebrows. "Or would you like a little something before…?"

"Let's go, before you get any wilder ideas."

---

Link walked next to Roy, knowing that the boy _did _like him although he didn't show it, at least not much. He always had to corner him to get a kiss, but every time he did, someone had the guts to disturb them. When he seldom got what he wanted, it really was worth the effort. When Roy surrendered to his kisses, he felt like heaven and he just couldn't stop kissing him, knowing that the moment wouldn't last forever. Still, giving up on him wasn't what he would do, he would rather keep on 'harassing' him until he would accept the fact that he did like boys and would tell him that he loved him as well.

He slipped his fingers between Roy's, causing the boy to pull his hand away and take a little more distance to him, but he only chuckled. This was so normal. He was used to this by now, at first he had really thought that Roy didn't like him, but then they had got drunk in a party and the boy had come to him, asking him all kinds of questions about himself. He had encouraged himself to press his lips on the general's and Roy had answered, pulling him even closer. Of course, the next morning he acted like nothing had happened and wouldn't talk about it.

They walked into the National Bank, the biggest in the world, also the most secured building. After lots of security they were finally able of meeting the leader, and have a little insight on what was going on.

"Did you know Mr. Ueda?" Roy asked, his face emotionless. No one could say what he was thinking at the moment.

"No, but I heard about his suicide. I've given my regards to his wife." The leader, a small man with a well-stylished hair and a tuxedo said, looking at them friendly.

"How thoughtful." The redhead said unemotionally. "Tell us about the Ueda Secure Program."

"Well… It's very top-secret, I don't know much about it."

Link gave the man a smile, rising his eyebrows questioningly. "Do you think someone might've killed him for it?"

"No, the program has nothing to do with Mr. Ueda's suicide." Tuxedo said firmly.

"Who installed it?" The redhead asked, leaning his head a bit.

"They were working for Mr. Ueda, none of my employees."

"Where can we find them?" The Hylian asked what the general would've asked and the boy gave him a quick look. He had once again been able to catch a glance from him, their eyes meeting for only a second before Roy turned his face away, knowing what he was thinking.

"Probably from Mr. Ueda's company, the Uedagram." He looked like he would've wanted them to leave, like he was in a hurry, he checked his watch more and more often.

"Then I guess we'll get there. Thanks for your time." The redhead said, getting up to leave. Link followed him and Tuxedo seemed relieved.

When they got out of the bank, Link spoke:

"I wonder why he was so nervous…" They stopped at a red light.

"Maybe he's got something to do with Mr. Ueda's death, but I don't think so." Roy answered simply. The elf slipped his fingers between the general's, taking his hand in his, pressing it gently. This time the boy only rolled his eyes and sighed.

"You never give up, do you?"

"I just want to hold your hand, that's all." The Hylian smiled at him.

"No, that's _not_ all." The general looked vexed as he ascertained. Link chuckled, wanting to tease him a bit, but knew that Roy could easily escape from his hug in a public place.

"Okay, I lied. But I can tell you spesifically what I want if you're willing to hear it." He whispered to the redhead's ear, breathing hotly, wanting to bite his ear gently and pull it.

The general didn't answer, he was clearly awaiting him to do something. He cursed himself, why had he started pulling moves on the boy in a public place, where Roy would definitely freak out if he began kissing him and touching him. He told himself angrily to keep his perverted thoughts inside until they would be alone. At the moment, the only place to bill and coo was their office where the redhead spent awfully little time because of his profession.

Link was an investigator and Roy a psychologist. He knew that they were partners only because he had no idea of the murderer's mind which was the general's specialty and because Roy was poor at setting traps for the murderers and catching them. Still, he was with Link very little and he hated that. He wanted to keep Roy close so that he could ward off anyone interested in him.

And he couldn't take Roy to his place because firstly, he was afraid he might pull moves on him. Secondly, he lived with his smaller self, who was rather… well, blunt. He had once brought Roy to his place when the boy had been drunk, but he had left after Young Link had said a few comments. He was embarrassed greatly even by the thought of it.

He woke from his thoughts as the general took his hand out of his and looked at the general a little lost. When he realised the lights were green, he hurried next to the redhead.

"Hello, have we met?" He joked, catching a surprised look from him.

"Link, I wonder if we should speak to Mr. Ueda's wife." He said, looking back at him with his sapphire blue eyes, ignoring what he had said.

"I think we should really do that. Find out if she inherits him…"

"Do you know where she lives?" The redhead asked, not really thinking that Link would know.

"Actually, yes, my love." The elf ascertained. "I'm not much of a psychologist, but I did know that you wanted to meet her sooner or later."

"Great." Roy answered, not too enthusiastic. "Where should we go then?"

"Wait, let me check." The Hero took a piece of paper from his pocket. "Umm… Westside Boulevard 342."

"Let's take a cab, it's too far to walk from here." The redhead said, waving for a taxi passing them by which stopped to take them in.

Link wanted to say something sexy at the moment, but decided to keep it inside. He would pull moves on Roy in the office. He _could _hold himself back in a public place. Although it was rather tough.

But he could.

He would.

Nah. "You remember the movie where the newlyweds--"

"I don't _want _to know." Roy cut him off with a smile.

---

Did Mrs. Ueda kill her husband or not? Does the bank manager withheld information? Why was Mr. Ueda's death ruled suicide? How close will Link get to Roy?

Stay tuned! Thank you for reading, I would really love your reviews!


	2. Femme Fatales Part 02 Introducing Shirat...

Good to see everyone again! I promised to shut up now, but I just have to tell you this. _Never, ever _put a coke into your freezer and open it when it's half frozen instantly. I did that and KA-BOOM! There was coke everywhere. laughs

---

EPISODE 01: Femme Fatales Part 02 Introducing Shiratori

---

He sat next to the boy in the backseat, as near as possible but not too near so that the taxidriver wouldn't think of them as a couple. He knew Roy would take his distance, so it was no use trying to go too close to him. Instead, he kept looking at him and when the boy realised he lovesick look, he sighed and rolled his eyes, fixing his gaze outside to the people they passed by.

"What kind of evidence do we have?" The elf asked.

"We have the body of Mr. Ueda, a hair that I took into the lab to be examined, some fibres of a dress, fingerprints on his jacket. Not too careful, this our murderer."

"If we wait for the lab results, we wouldn't need to interview anyone."

"Yes, we do. If someone confesses to the murder, it affects his or her sentence."

"Oh, yeah. 'Everything you say can and will be used against you in a court of--'"

"Yeah."

As they got out of the cab, he insisted to pay it and Roy agreed, smiling gratefully. When they arrived to the porch, Mr. Ueda's wife opened the door before they could ring the doorbell:

"What do you want?" She asked, trying to sound kind, but there was clearly annoyance in her voice.

"Hi, we're Roy and Link with the S.F.B.I. We'd like to have a word with you." The redhead said, unable to hide his surprisement.

"About my husband?" She opened the door wider, revealing a rather wealthy house, expensive furniture and probably handmade Indian carpets, the lamps they had were probably bought from China and they didn't look cheap either. "I tell you like I tell everyone, Kazuki never did anything to me. I didn't kill him."

"We.. we weren't asking for that." The elf remarked.

"I knew you would do it eventually." She answered simply. "Sake?"

"No, thanks. We won't be staying long." Roy said politely.

"Okay, then, ask your questions." She lead them to a very expensive-looking couch and they all sat down, she opposite to them in a chair, the same style as the couch.

"Do you inherit him?" The elf asked bluntly.

She was stunned for a moment by his frankness. Then she blushed a little, only so much that she looked extremely cute, she wasn't old enough to have wrinkles and obviously Mr. Ueda had a very good taste in his women. "I inherit him completely. We don't have any children because I'm barren."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Roy said before Link got to ask the next question. He felt the need to take part in her sorrow, because he realised that she was now completely alone, without her husband, without any children… but with lots and lots of money to drown her sorrow with.

"Where were you at the murder hour 21st May around 10 pm to 2 am?"

"I was here, at home. I have no alibi." She said calmly, fiddling the hem of her short dress.

"Do you know why his murder was ruled suicide?"

She looked at them a little surprised. "I… suppose… because it _was _a suicide?"

"Well, it seems like it wasn't after all. Do you know anyone who would've wanted to kill him?" Link continued as the general looked around.

"No… I… I thought that…" She looked lost. If she had murdered him, she was acting really well. "I don't think anyone would've wanted to kill him. He was a good employer, he paid well, he loved his work and he didn't scold his employees without really good reasons."

"Any friends? Family?" Roy asked rather absent-mindedly.

"Well, he went out a lot alone, but it was always business… His mother died before he turned ten and his father died last year. He was an only child." She was trying to act calm, but failed, she was clearly on the verge of crying or on the verge of _confessing._

"Do you know anyone we could talk to?" Link continued.

"Well, he often spoke about private meetings, top-secret information… He sometimes mentioned someone called Shiratori. I don't know his first name."

"Any idea of where he might've gone to his top-secret meetings?"

"He didn't tell me, but I always smelled greasy food in him when he came home. So I guess it must've been a MacDonalds'…"

"Where did he work mostly?" Roy asked, a little surprised that Mr. Ueda would use MacDonalds' in his secret meetings.

"At home… Sometimes he went to Uedagram, but mostly home. If-if you want you can take his laptop with you." She pointed at a laptop on an oak table, very old one, and probably antics.

"Oh, thank you." The elf got up and fetched the laptop. "I guess this is all. Thank you for your time, Mrs. Ueda."

"Oh, it wasn't a problem." She bowed slightly, trying to laugh, but failed miserably, her laughter sounded hollow and pretended.

"Have a nice day." They left and as the door closed, Link whispered to Roy:

"I think it was her."

"I think she's innocent." The boy answered.

"Why? She's got all the reasons. She inherits him, he was never home to give his wife company and spend time with her, she was at home alone at the murder hour… it all indicates that she killed him." Link stated reasons for her guilt.

"Then she must be a very good actor." Roy smiled at him. "If she would've killed him, she would've been much more hostile towards us."

"I don't know much about psychology, but I know that some people _are _natural talents. We should check her background has she been an actress… I just want to be sure, my love."

The boy rolled his eyes at hearing the elf call him 'my love' but chuckled. "Let's get back to the office. We have some work to do there."

"Yeah." The Hero almost squealed in joy. He got to be alone with Roy in the office… He could do anything to him there, touch him, kiss him, feel him near… He tried to put his arm around the boy's waist, but Roy calmly took a step farther from him, giving him a casual smile.

---

They had been working for some time. Mr. Ueda's laptop was filled with passwords that were hard to break, even tougher systems and all kinds of new technology that took them forever to finally see the files, especially his e-mail was secured. While Link worked on the laptop, the boy tried to trace all the phone calls Mr. Ueda had made from his cell phone and home.

"Hey, Roy, check this out. Shirato--"

"Yes, Mrs. Hayama. Could you tell me specifically what you mean by that?" The general spoke to his phone, walking over to him to see what he had found on the computer. "Mm-hm… Yes, horrible." He didn't seem too interested in what Mrs. Hayama was saying. Before he began reading what the elf had there, he turned away, waving at him to be quiet.

"Do you know why would he do that?" The boy continued calmly, Link could hear rather furious speech from the phone, it seemed like she didn't really like Mr. Ueda too much.

"Thank you for your time, Mrs. Hayama. I really need to go now. Yes. Goodbye. Yes, you can call me if you remember anything. Goodbye." He closed the phone and sighed heavily. "God, she asked me if I was a doctor and if I could come over to take a look at her sore hip."

Link chuckled. "That's what I love in this job."

"What did you find?"

"Shiratori wasn't a he."

"Huh?"

"Asuka Shiratori. 18-year-old high school student. And he's probably had some quality time with her."

"Hmm…" The boy searched a paper for more names to call.

"Listen. This is an e-mail she wrote to him. 'Kazuki, I wish you could be with me more. It seems like you're so busy… Could we go to a restaurant this Friday? My parents aren't at home, so we could be at my place and you could even spend the night if you want to. You just need to make up an excuse for your wife. Please, answer me soon, lots of love, Asuka.' If this was business, then I'd want to be Mr. Ueda."

Roy chuckled. Then he returned to his paper. "You know, he also called Shiratori a lot. And not only her, it seems like Mr. Ueda had lots and lots of girlfriends." The general ascertained, showing the elf a file filled with info on Mr. Ueda.

"Hm?" Link rose his eyebrows. "How do you know that from this paper?" He looked at the paper, not able to understand one bit of the numbers on it. It was like a foreign language to him.

"Well, you see these numbers? They're the phone call records. They've been made to different numbers, every recipient's a girl, ages from 15 to 20, blonde and green-eyed except for the lovely Mrs. Hayama. I think it would be one hell of a coincidence to work with girls so young and have to call them every day or receive a call from the every day."

"One lucky guy." The Hylian joked, eliciting a smile from Roy.

"Now we just have to find how he got into contact with them and what did he do with them." The boy continued, walking farther away from the table, getting ready to call the next person in his list.

"I think it's pretty clear from Asuka's message _what _he did with them, but I'll do my best to find out how he got into contact." The elf got up, stretching. "I just need a little break… and so do you, my love." Link went to the boy and put his arms gently on Roy's waist, who reflexively took a step back, looking at him under his eyebrows with a look that told him to cut it out. "And I think you need a little relaxation, don't you think so too?" The elf said, following one step after the general, pressing his forehead against Roy's, who was taking another step backwards, trying to escape from his hug. He smiled smugly, taking the phone from his hand and switching it off, not able to force the smile away and tried to kiss the boy, who turned his head away.

"Link, stop. Let me do my work."

"You're not really serious." He simply ascertained. And it was true. Roy would've been a lot more aggressive if he seriously would've wanted him to go away, he had already learned that.

He tried to kiss him, but Roy turned his head away, finally trying a little to push him away, but it was only a small protest, it was clear he didn't want Link to let go and go away. He just couldn't admit that he liked guys too. Link ran his hand up the boy's spine, who was starting to relax in his touch, he was actually pressing closer, still trying to look away like he wouldn't enjoy Link near. The Hero turned his face towards his with his fingers, running them smoothly against his jaw line. Then he pressed his lips on Roy's, feeling the softness of his lips he wanted to go further, he wanted to have Roy right there right then, but he couldn't.

If he was lucky to get kisses, he would need to be happy. He pressed his tongue against the general's fiery lips, gaining entrance into his mouth and running his tongue over his teeth. He felt how Roy finally reacted to him, grabbing his hair with his hands and pressing him closer. He smiled internally, exploring the boy's mouth, letting his hands touch the boy's hot body.

The way they were there, just kissing each other, it was the only thing he needed in his day to make it perfect. He knew he loved Roy too much, but he couldn't help it. If he would need to keep the feelings inside, he would probably explode or die, he was so dedicated that it hurt to think about someone else than the general in his arms, so warm and so beautiful, his muscular body against his. He pressed him even closer, moving his hands lower on his back, over his belt, feeling how Roy took a firmer grip around him, not wanting to let him go anymore.

Finally their lips parted, the elf felt already so lonely without the warmth of the boy's on his lips, he knew that as soon as Roy would realise what he had done with him, he would leave, as red as a tomato. He had already learned that teasing Roy about kissing and trying to get him to confess his love after kissing with him was not a good thing to do. If he said something

_See? It's obvious that you love me. _

about his feelings, it only made Roy retreat and he couldn't get close to the boy in a very long time. So, he was usually satisfied with just Roy leaving, blushing furiously. He always kept looking at him tenderly, invitingly for a long time, hoping he would come back to his warm hug and share his body with him.

Roy was indeed blushing furiously, desperately trying to act like nothing ever happened. He smiled at him, stroking his hair gently, looking at him as tenderly as he could to tell him that there was nothing wrong in loving a guy. Then the boy pushed him away, his eyes never meeting with his. He walked to the door and opened it.

"Where are you going?" The elf queried.

"I'm going to take a look at one sore hip." The boy looked at him, his blush already going away and flashed a smile before disappearing into the corridor. Link sighed, the whole room felt so empty without the boy, it seemed like he was all alone in the wide world, but he knew that Roy couldn't stay away from him… Or at least he hoped so, rotating a pen around his finger as he returned to browse through the vast amount of files on Mr. Ueda's laptop.

It was around three when Roy came back, looking fed up with talking. When Link greeted him he gave him an annoyed smile, sitting down in a chair opposite the elf on the other side of the table.

"I guess I don't need to ask."

"Better not." Roy sighed, completely defeated, but still defiant as the general he was. "She really _did _have a problem, and it wasn't only with Mr. Ueda. She hated every guy in the whole universe."

"You didn't make friends with her?" Link joked.

"Not exactly. She insulted me." The boy snorted, suddenly boiling with anger he was trying to hold back. "She thought I was a girl in the phone."

"A girl with a rather jazzy voice." The elf was focusing on his files again. The redhead gave him a 'thank-you-so-much-you-jerk' look and rolled his eyes. "No, seriously, Roy. She's got a screw or two loose if she thinks you're a girl."

The redheaded teen didn't say anything in a while, just snorted once to tell him that he was clearly offended my Mrs. Hayama. "Anyway." He finally said. "She told me that Mr. Ueda had pulled moves on _her. _He can't have been sane either."

"Well, you know what they say about geniuses." Link pressed a few keys, making the laptop let out a loud

_beeeeeeeeeeeeeep_

noise to tell him that he was trying to get access to classified files. He grimaced and the boy looked at him, slightly confused.

"I can't seem to open the image files. He's set five passwords for each of them and breaking them will take forever." The Hero looked at his love with a tender smile. "I connected our computer to his laptop and it'll automatically break all the codes, it'll just take a while. We could catch some food now."

"That's a good idea. Best today."

"And after that…" The elf waggled his eyebrows as the redhaired general rolled his eyes and got up to leave without him.

---

When they came back, the computer had broken all of the codes, showing them rather… specific pictures of naked women, all blonde and green-eyed, young.

"As I thought." The elf said victoriously. "I'd like to have a chat with Asuka, wouldn't you?"

The redhaired teen nodded. "I'd like to know how he got to know her."

"Me, too. I might do the same thing." Link joked, flashing Roy a smile. The general called again somewhere, asking for a person in Haine by the name Asuka Shiratori and they found two of them. But the other one was around 40, so they didn't even bother thinking that she would be their Asuka.

As they were going to Asuka's, the boy looked out from the window with a slightly melancholic look. He seemed to be wondering something. The elf followed his expressions closely, trying to figure out what was troubling the boy.

"What's wrong?"

Roy snapped out of his thoughts and looked at him. "Hm?"

"What's wrong? You seemed to be wondering something real hard."

"I was just thinking about the possible murderer. You're right. It could be Mrs. Ueda. What if she somehow found out that he was cheating on her with these students and didn't want anyone to know… She might've killed him and bought the police. That way it would be ruled suicide as easily as it was."

"See? I told you. We just need to find some solid evidence that it really was her."

"But, on the other hand, it could be Asuka as well. If she got tired of his… fetishes. She could've killed him, gone to Mrs. Ueda and told her to buy the cops."

"Then Mrs. Ueda wouldn't be the killer, she would just be an assistant." The elf said.

"What if Asuka killed him and the police thought it was Mrs. Ueda and she bought their silence because she was afraid of the press?"

"You think too much." The Hero almost whispered, gently taking his hand in his. Roy tried to take his hand away, but he pressed it harder, so hard that the boy couldn't take it off. When the general turned to look at him with a frustrated look, he gave him the prettiest smile he could do. "I think they're glued."

Roy couldn't help smiling, but he tried to hide it with turning his head away.

The car drove in front of an apartment building and they got out, the general looked at the rather old building, trying to search for a window that would belong to Asuka. Link pressed the buzzer and heard a scared girl's voice:

"Please, come in."

They exchanged looks. "Guilty?" Link asked.

"We'll see." Roy answered as he entered the building.

Asuka let them in, trying to smile kindly, her eyes were a little red, her hair messy, it seemed like she had been crying. She told them to sit down and brought them tea, bowing and apologising for the way she looked.

"No, it's all right." The general said kindly.

"It's… It's just that… I… I can't believe he's gone…" She looked at her feet, clearly swallowing her tears.

"Do you know who would've wanted to kill him?" The elf asked gently, not wanting her to cry there.

"I… I thought it was suicide… He… He… didn't…" She sniffled, really fighting against her tears.

"I'm sorry, it wasn't."

"How… how…?"

"Multiple stabbing wounds."

She cried out loud for the first time, burying her face in her hands. The investigators felt a little awkward, not really knowing what they should do. So they both looked away, a little around in the room. The apartment was a small one, there wasn't much furniture, only a table and a couch. The floor was covered with her clothes.

"I… I'm sorry." She wiped her tears away, sniffling again. "It's just… I… Horrible."

"Could you tell us about your relationship with Mr. Ueda?"

"About… About us?" She looked at them a little scared.

"Yes. We know that you and Mr. Ueda had a relationship. But we need to know more about it to find the killer." Link explained.

"We… we met through Internet. He… He contacted me." Asuka reminisced sorrowfully. "I… I have this account in mailfriends and he sent me a mail to ask to be my friend."

"Mailfriends?" The redheaded teen queried.

"It's an Internet service. You make an account for yourself and persons who want to be your friend sends you an e-mail." She was succeeding in collecting herself.

"Oh. Please, go on." The Hero said kindly.

"Well, he sent me an e-mail and we found out that... that we were from the same city. We decided to meet, I wanted to see him because he was so kind and wonderful. We met in the City Plaza, and decided to have dinner. He… He was such a wonderful person…" She held her tears back. "We met a few times after that as friends and then he told me that he loved me… and I loved him back. But then he told me about the problem. He had a wife… he… he was married." She looked annoyed.

"And?"

"Well, I was desperately in love with him… He... was in love with me too. So we decided to keep our relationship in secret from his wife. She… She would've paid me to leave him, he told me, she was so afraid that the press would get to know that their marriage was going downhill, almost crashing." She kept a break. "He came to me and called me but I was forbidden to call him because of his wife. At times he didn't call me in weeks and I was starting to… starting to feel a little annoyed. I suggested that he would take a divorce with his wife, but he refused. We still met, sometimes he stayed overnight and he paid for my studies, wanting me to finish them soon and come to work to the Uedagram."

There was a long silence, she waited for them to say something, but they had no idea what.

"Then he started taking pictures of me, telling me that he wanted to see me even when he couldn't be with me. I was glad and let him take… all kinds of… pictures…" She blushed. "And… and now he's gone." Asuka started sobbing again, desperately trying to collect herself.

"Do you know any of his friends?"

"I… I once… I sometimes saw him with another girls." She cried, turning her head away from them. "He… He always told me that he met them because of work."

"Do you know any of the names of these girls?"

"Yes... Marie was a close friend of mine. And… she told me once that she had found a wonderful guy, by the name Kazuki."

"Kazuki? You mean, Mr. Ueda?" Link's eyes were open wide.

"Yes. I… "She burst to tears. "My _best _friend!"

"We're sorry." The general took part in her sorrow.

"It's… It's all right. I… I haven't seen her in a long time." She took a paper from the table and wrote down a name and an address. "Here. Marie Caruso."

"Thank you, I guess we'll leave then." The elf got up and started for the door.

"Are you making food?" The redhead answered and both, the elf and the girl were a little surprised about his question.

"Now?" She asked.

"Yes."

"No, I almost always eat out." She answered, looking a bit lost.

"Oh, okay then. Can I take this with me?" The redheaded teen picked a knife with red dried liquid on it from the floor. The girl went completely pale, all the blood from her head had gone, her eyes were wide, watering.

---

Ooh… I might need to change the rating already… Well, the next part will be a lot more… er… romantic. Uhm… I guess I can tell you that Roy visits Link's place. winks We'll see what happens, huh?

Thank you for reading, your reviews are always welcome!


	3. Femme Fatales Part 03 Dire Straits' Rome...

EPISODE 01: Femme Fatales Part 03 Dire Straits' Romeo and Juliet

---

"I… I _didn't do it!_" She screamed desperately and ran to the general, hugging him. "I didn't… I didn't do it… I couldn't have…"

"We just want to be sure." Roy gave the knife to Link, who observed it with a rather disbelieving look.

"But _I didn't do it!_" She grabbed his shoulders and shook him furiously, tears flowing down her cheeks freely.

"We're not accusing you, now let go of me." There was clear annoyance in the general's voice. He didn't want to flare up to the high schoolgirl who was already in a weak state of mind. If he scared her now she would either confess or, if she was broken enough, kill herself.

"You've _got _to believe me! I DIDN'T do it!"

Roy sighed heavily and took a firm grip of her shoulders, but didn't press too hard to hurt her. He led her to the couch and made her sit down, her eyes were cloudy and her lower lip trembled, her fit was over and she was breaking apart again.

"Goodbye, Asuka. Do not leave town." He said before they left and closed the door behind them.

"What was that fit about?" Link queried, still confused about his question.

"I need to think. It could be about many things, but at the moment, she seems guilty."

"What?" Link's eyes opened wide. "But she loved him!"

"Love can make people do weird things."

"Are you suggesting something?" The elf teased, pulling the boy near and breathing hotly into his ear.

"What do you think?" Roy asked, smiling and pushed him away to walk out of the building. "I'm going home now."

"Wouldn't you come over? We could cook a little something together…" Link trotted next to the general, looking at him pleadingly. "I wouldn't want to be alone tonight, Young Link's with Marth. We could watch a movie, do anything you want." Just when he was about to say something sexy, he decided to be quiet. If he got Roy to his apartment, then he could do almost anything to him… assuming he liked it. He already imagined about the boy's hot skin, the salty taste of it… How he would run his--

"I don't know." The boy answered, waking him up from his thoughts.

"Just say yes, I _really _don't want to be alone." He gave him a smile. The boy looked at him for a while, clearly wondering should he go. Maybe he knew that Link would try to pull moves on him and was wondering did he want that kind of attention or not.

"…Okay. But I'm not cooking." The general answered, and without hesitation Link pulled him near, stealing a kiss. With a smug smile he let go of Roy, who was blushing again, looking away from him.

"So, what kind of food do you want?" The elf continued like nothing had happened. That was the way Roy wanted it to be. Like nothing ever happened between them.

Ever.

He sighed, giving the general a little frustrated look.

---

His apartment was a nice one, three rooms and a kitchen, he had bought decent furniture and the place looked a lot like an idyllic home, of course, he had a child living with him so he couldn't live like a pig although he wanted to. One of the rooms was Young Link's, one his and one they shared as the living room. Link told the general to take it easy and act like he was home, he could do anything he wanted to at his place, especially now that Young Link wasn't there to ruin his brilliant plans with Roy.

He looked into the fridge, finding some beer he had bought probably B.C. but it still smelled okay when he opened a can.

"You want one?"

"Oh… Sure." The general said, taking his phone from his pocket. "What kind of food do you want?"

"Anything goes. I'm not picky with my food, but with my men." Link said it like he had been talking about the weather, casually and a little absent-mindedly.

Roy blushed and let out a small cough. "I'll order some Chinese then."

"Here." Link came next to him, this time sitting right next to him and gave him his beer. He knew that if Roy would've wanted, he would've pushed him away there and wouldn't have taken the beer because every time when he was drunk, even a little, he was a _lot _more open towards Link. It, of course, depended on his drinking. If he was only a little drunk, he did little things, such as kissing and cuddling, talking sweet nothings in return when the elf said some to him. If he was heavily drunk, he could suddenly come to Link and kiss him and force him on top of him and try to make out with him. Link just always felt it was wrong and kept kissing and cuddling him until he passed out.

"You know, while we were coming over here, I created a few theories." The boy began, looking at his beer. "What if Marie and As--"

Link covered his mouth with his hand. "Don't talk about work now. Now I want to be with you and forget all about work." Then he tried to kiss him, but Roy pushed him away. "What music do you want?"

"Music?" The boy queried. Link got up and walked to his stereos, showing him all the CDs he had. The general followed him curiously, wanting to know what kind of music did an elf listen to. There were all kinds of musics, from trance to pop, from rock to classical. Finally he chose Dire Straits' CD with Romeo and Juliet on it. When the music began, the guitar started softly and the rest came in, Link looked at him mischievously.

He wrapped his arms around the general, feeling his warm body against his as the boy breathed, Roy's hands trailing up his chest. "I've always dreamed of dancing with a guy."

"Well, keep on dreaming." Roy had recovered quickly from his shock, pushed him away, turning on his place and walking away.

"No, Roy, wait."

"I'm not going to dance with you, not even if it would heal your mother's sister's look-a-like's grandfather's cat's cancer." The boy said, stopping, but not turning to face him.

The Hylian looked at him, wondering why had the general got so scornful all of a sudden. Maybe it really did bother him to be trapped in Link's apartment, and that he had willingly walked in, or maybe not that but because he must've felt a little girlish to be asked for a dance. "I'm sorry. I just hoped you'd dance with me."

"_Why _would I want to dance with you?"

"I… I… I don't… Because 70 of people are more afraid of spiders than death!"

"…What's that got to do with anything?" The boy's voice was smoother already, his fit of rage was gone as quickly as it had come. Actually, Link thought he heard a slight smile in his voice.

"I don't know. All I know is that I love you."

"Right. Yeah. Sure." The redhead finally turned around. "I'm going to call the Chinese now. I don't want you to get any better ideas than dancing. God."

The Hero knew he had probably scarred Roy's manhood by asking him to dance with him like he would've asked a girl and besides, that one woman had thought that Roy was a girl and he hadn't been too happy about it. Well, after the first beer he wouldn't even remember that he asked him to dance with him. He smiled and sat on the couch again, waiting for his love to sit next to him, but Roy remained on his feet, walking slowly around as he spoke on the phone.

"Okay, the food should be here in 15 minutes."

"Great, I'm starting to be really hungry." The Hero noticed that Roy wasn't coming near him and that he was blushing a bit, maybe because he was a guest in his house and knew that Link could do anything to him now. Or then he was just a little drunk already. "Come here, Roy." He called gently, patting the place next to him. Roy came slowly, not looking at him, but still pressed close, only a little but Link knew him so well that he knew every message the boy sent to him. Smiling at Roy, he pressed his lips on his, sad that the boy had to be drunk, but glad that he could at least in some way be with him.

The boy answered gently, still not trying to touch him, he just sat there to be kissed. Link hugged him tight, feeling his warm body against his, his heart was fluttering, he couldn't believe that he was holding the boy, fondling him gently and it felt so good, the good feeling warmed his heart and the happiness spread around his body, probably radiating to Roy too.

The doorbell rang like a malicious child would've been watching them and decided to interfere with their little romantic moment. Link knew that the boy wasn't even badly drunk yet, he was just accepting all the kisses without protesting at all, almost like when they were at work. He went to the door and opened it, paid for the food although Roy would've wanted to do that.

After eating and a few beers, Link didn't really remember how many, he was encouraged by the calming feeling of the alcohol. He put his hand on Roy's shoulder and when the teen didn't mind it, he ran it down his arm, pulling him off the couch on his feet. Then he gently slipped his hand behind his back and pulled him close, right where he wanted him.

Funny how alcohol made Roy so much more… flexible. He didn't care about the voice inside him that usually told him what was wrong and what was right, he just did what felt good and Link enjoyed it. He rested his head on Roy's shoulder, breathing on his neck to tell him he was so close, he would always be that close. Anywhere, anytime, the general could just come to him and he would always have a moment for him, a life to give to him.

The boy put his arms on his back, pressing Link close, breathing his scent. Feeling his body against his felt warm, there was life there, his body felt comforting, a safe place where he could curl up into a ball when he was scared.

They didn't really dance, they just held each other, their eyes closed, enjoying the touch, hoping that the night would last forever. It was so warm, the feeling of having someone near made them feel so loved, and when it was that someone special, that one your heart lives for, the feeling couldn't even be described. They couldn't say anything, only touch and feel. And that way, they spoke everything yet not a word escaped their lips.

Link had no idea how long they had been there, how late it was, all he knew was that he was where he wanted to be, near Roy, holding him close and offering him warmth, giving himself completely to the boy. He opened his eyes, moving himself so that he could look directly into Roy's sapphire eyes tenderly, seeing the longing in the boy's eyes, the sadness that he felt for loving a guy. He pressed gently his lips on his, telling him that as long as they loved each other, everything would be fine and no one would ever need to know.

He moved his hand on the back of Roy's head, feeling the boy's hands on his back, crawling slowly higher. He felt pained to have the general drunk, but he would try to talk to him tomorrow morning, he would somehow pin him and talk to him, try to make him understand that there was nothing wrong with loving a guy. He explored his mouth with growing passion, desperately trying to hold himself back. He couldn't make love to Roy when the boy was drunk. If he woke up next to him after spending a wild night with him he would either kill him or himself.

"Link…" Roy whispered to his tunic when the kiss had ended.

"What is it?" He asked, stroking his flaming red hair. Roy looked at him for a while, then pulled him into a passionate kiss filled with withheld romantic emotions and the fiery nature of the boy. Before Link could even answer the kiss, he realised he was losing his clothes, Roy was guiding his hands to his own belt to take it off.

An alarm set off in his head. It rang and rang and rang, but he couldn't make the general stop. He just couldn't. No matter how he tried, his brain couldn't bring him to do it, his heart had blocked his brain and was trying to suffocate the alarm so that he could dedicate himself to the boy.

_Grandma, grandma, grandma…_He kept repeating. But it had no effect. He only pulled the general closer, feeling his bare chest against his, their hot skins touching. Roy's hands moved passionately around his body as the boy kept on kissing him, deepening the kiss to the limit. 

Finally he pulled away, gasping for air and took his hand in his, looking at him pleadingly.

"Let's go… to your room…" he almost whispered shyly. Link tried to collect himself. He had to do it now, before he would do something with Roy. He kissed him gently on his forehead.

"You go ahead, I'm thirsty."

The boy nodded shyly, his cheeks reddening. He walked towards the Hylian's room, speaking about something incoherent all the way. The elf sighed. If Roy would've been his boyfriend he wouldn't have done this, he wouldn't have forced his heart to stop and it had always been the one he listened to the most. He sat down on the couch, looking at their shed clothes. His heart was screaming at him,

_Go go go he loves you he just needs something to realise that it's not so bad loving a guy he'll be yours anyway go go he's yours_

telling him to go there and do what Roy wanted. But he had to listen to his senses now. He wasn't used to it, but

_If you go there now and fuck him he'll wake up the next morning and blame you for raping him and leave you get a transfer to another country or do anything to get away from you_

he knew that if he wanted to be sure about getting Roy, he would need to play it the safe way. He repeated an image of his grandma naked in front of him for many many times before he got up and walked to his bedroom.

Roy was on the bed, looking at him a little worried, a bright blush rushing to his face when he saw him. He smiled excitedly:

"I've never done this before… with a guy."

_All the more reasons why I'm not going to make love to you._Link thought but didn't say it out loud. He just smiled at the boy and crawled on top of him, touching him everywhere he dared, kissing his body, his momentarily tensing up and relaxing muscles, his hot, excited skin, feeling the boy's nervous fingers holding him close as the general breathed more and more hecticly by the minute.

_Grandma, grandma naked, naked in the shower, naked singing lady marmalade_

Link reached his face, touching it with his fingers before kissing him passionately, momentarily losing control, but regained it fast. He laid on top of Roy, feeling his hot body against his own, but kept thinking about all kinds of things he definitely didn't want to have in his bed. He gently kept kissing the boy's neck, tasting what he tasted like, the familiar taste he knew he would never get fed up with.

Finally Roy began to breathe calmly, clearly dozing off. The elf let out a quiet sigh, he had survived once again. The next morning Roy would wake up next to him, freak out a little, but after he would notice he still had his pants on he would calm down.

_If…_He thought. Maybe he should… at least try. He closed his eyes, enjoying the feel of Roy's chest going up and down as he slept peacefully, listening to the sound of him sleeping. There was that strange feel of happiness in the air, he sensed certain tranquillity filling the room.

He gave the boy one final kiss on his lips. "I love you." He whispered to the night.

---

Awwww… Well, is it too lemony for PG-13? I don't really know should it be called even lemony, because there's nothing but kissing and cuddling… You tell me, okay?

And yeah, what Link says about spiders… It's true. I'm one of those who are more afraid of spiders than death! -laughs-

Thank you for reading, your reviews are always wonderful to receive!

Stephen King is a god! …of sorts.


	4. Femme Fatales Part 04 Morning

EPISODE 01: Femme Fatales Part 04 Morning

---

The morning came, cruelly and finally. Roy opened his eyes, feeling a little headache, realising that he wasn't in his apartment. He gasped, feeling Link on top of him.

_ON TOP?_He thought, panicking a bit. But actually, it didn't feel so horrible at all. He just hoped that it would've felt horrible, extremely gross and everything in between, but he felt so warm and fuzzy. So cared… _loved. _He wrapped his arms around Link tight, hoping that the elf wasn't awake yet. He couldn't show him that he actually _enjoyed _being under him.

_What would happen if you did so? _His subconscious asked. And he didn't quite know the answer, he knew only that then Link would be with him even more and try to kiss him more and touch him more and… well, it didn't really sound that bad. If he only was a girl. He couldn't bring himself to love a guy.

_"There's nothing wrong in loving a guy." _He remembered what Link had answered him when he had freaked out when he had heard that the elf was in love with him for the first time. But there was. At least to him there was. He had always thought that he would marry a girl and love girls like he had before he had met Link.

_I don't love him. _He assured himself. Still, his hands pressed the Hylian closer and he nuzzled his nose to his neck, wanting to taste it, but held himself back by calling himself names. He shouldn't let the elf close, but every time he resisted, Link was somehow able of getting through his already weak defences.

He closed his eyes, breathing the scent of Link, the scent of an exotic forest. He didn't love him, he assured himself, but it wouldn't hurt him if he stayed there until the elf too woke up. He closed his eyes, already drifting to sleep in the warm hug of the Hylian.

---

Link woke up on top of Roy, noticing that the boy hadn't woken up yet, otherwise he would've made sure he would wake up too. He gave him a kiss on his lips, trailing his hand down his chest and stomach, only to feel his body. He wished Roy would take it easy when he woke up, but that would be impossible. His temper didn't last that long.

He sighed a hot sigh on to the boy's neck, feeling how Roy snorted as if he was waking up.

_Here comes the storm. _He waited.

"Get off me." Was all the general said. He obediently rolled off him, letting out a grunt and feeling so cold although he was still under the blanket. Roy got up, he saw his muscular back as he sat on the edge of the bed, thinking.

"You know, Roy." He said, looking at the ceiling. "I did a little thinking at night."

"And?" The general answered, looking for his shirt.

"What do you think would happen to you if you accepted your love towards me?" He knew Roy wouldn't answer it truthfully, but he just had to ask.

"…I… don't know. And besides, I don't love you."

"Oh, yeah, sorry I forgot that." Link said kindly as if it had been sugar he had forgotten to add in his coffee.

The teen left to the living room, searching for his clothes, wondering what had gone into him last night. Yeah, he had enjoyed it, but he… he couldn't understand _why_ he enjoyed it so much. He found his shirt and tunic both on the floor where he had obviously thrown them and dressed up in a silence, blushing furiously at the memories of last night.

He had just got all his clothes on when Young Link ran in and froze, seeing him there.

"Hi, Roy!" He said after a while.

Link ran to the living room, grabbing his tunic from the floor and looked at his miniature self. "If you say one perverted thing I'll strangle you and you'll never see Marth again."

"Okay. I won't say anything embarrassing." He said, taking something to eat from the fridge. "Em-bare-assing."

Link sighed, looking at Roy who blushed again at the small elf's comment. "Why can't I have been normal when I was a kid?"

"I… I think I'll be going now." The general said, leaving for the door.

"What time is it?" Link asked.

"It's ten past ten. You've really been up late last night." Young Link said, causing Roy to blush crimson and bolt for the door.

"Holy god, no! We're late!" They both left quickly, leaving Young Link alone.

"Well, I don't think I'll bother going to school then when they didn't notice that."

As if Link had heard him, the elf opened their door and commanded:

"You, lazy stump, get your butt to school."

---

"How did you know I wouldn't have gone to school?" The young elf murmured in the backseat of a cab.

"You're me. _I _wouldn't have gone to school."

"Dammit. Sometimes I wish I'd be you."

"You will eventually." Link said cheerfully as the cab stopped in front of Young Link's school. "Have a great day, midget!"

"I will, giant!" The little boy answered cheerfully.

"A cute child you have there." The taxi driver said as he had closed the door.

"Yeah, he's a nice guy, but sometimes reminds me of myself even painfully." The elf answered, flashing the driver a happy smile.

"Well, kids take after their parents easily." He ascertained smoothly. "He's a good kid, that I know just by looking at him. Where's his mom?"

Link's smile disappeared. He looked a little sad for a moment, making Roy frown with sympathy. Suddenly, for a passing moment as fast as light itself he wanted to _hold _Link and tell him everything was all right, he would never loose anyone dear to him again. A little lie maybe, but it always worked. When he realised what he had thought, his eyes widened, he was so surprised. He _wasn't _in love with Link. He was only a caring friend. Yeah, that was what he was.

"His… his mother's dead."

"Poor boy. It must be tough for you too." The driver said, trying to sound compassionate. "I'm sorry."

"It's all right. It happened a long time ago."

They spoke about something until they reached the S.F.B.I. headquarters and Roy insisted on paying. Link let him, but not without trying to pay for him. Maybe Roy was only trying to prove that he wasn't a girl that needed to be offered everything, candlelight dinners, car rides, etc… It was actually kind of funny.

He led the way to his office, where Roy only picked up some papers and the knife and left, probably to make some kind of a profile of the killer. Of course, Link felt a little lonely and sad without the general, but when he reminisced about last night, how Roy had laid there under him so peacefully, letting him taste him and touch him, Link began to smile and whistle.

He did some paperwork, hoping the redhead would come back and ask him to accompany him to see Marie Caruso, but the general was somewhere doing his profiles. He decided to go alone.

---

Roy sat in front of the computer, searching for background of all the three persons, Mrs. Ueda, Asuka Shiratori and Marie Caruso. He had found out that Mrs. Ueda hadn't played theatre in her whole life, she had only worked as a model when she was younger and still did it sometimes.

Asuka was a pretty normal student, she had had a few meetings with the police, mostly because of being drunk underage. She was a B student, worked part-time in a MacDonalds', lived alone in a small apartment in downtown.

Marie Caruso was an A student, obviously from a rich family herself, she had a brand new Chevrolet, own apartment in downtown, she worked as a model when she wasn't at school, sang in a school band and so on.

Roy sighed. He had taken the knife to the lab to be dusted to see would they find fingerprints on it and would they match with any of their suspects. But the results would take at least four hours to come. He tried to see what everyone of the women had hated in Mr. Ueda and which one of them would've been able of committing murder.

It seemed like Asuka was broken, torn by the loss of her love. She wasn't in a theatre club or anything like that, so she couldn't have acted her part so well. Also, Mr. Ueda paid for her studies, so killing him would've meant that money would've stopped flowing to her. She had no reasons to kill Mr. Ueda unless she was in such a state of horrible anger about the pictures that she had killed him and left the knife on her floor to be found.

Mrs. Ueda could've done it. As Asuka had said, their marriage was going downhill. Her husband was cheating on her with high school girls, sometimes spending the night with them. She could've killed him of anger to act as the widow and start looking for a new man. But then… she needed to be a natural talent, because she hadn't been in theatre either.

Marie Caruso, he would need to talk to her. Seeing how she would react to his questions would help in making a profile of her. But with the information he had, he concluded that she was an outgoing, nice, cheerful young girl, probably popular with the boys, aware of her own charm. Maybe Mr. Ueda tried to break up with her, but it wasn't fine with her and she killed him.

The general sighed again. There needed to be a way to make one of them confess. Asuka was the weakest, if they would start pressuring her, she might tell them if she knew something more than what she had told. He decided to give it a shot and walked to Link's office, which was empty. He sat down in the chair and began working through the list of numbers he still had. He had a few phone calls to make, and he would need to call Mrs. Hayama again.

_That bitch… _He thought, looking at her number in the list. He dialled and when he spoke to her, he didn't smile even once.

---

Okay, there it is now. Only one more part to go! Woo! Any ideas who could the killer be?

Thanks for reading, reviews are always appreciated!


	5. Femme Fatales Part 05 Lies and Confessio...

EPISODE 01: Femme Fatales Part 05 Lies and Confessions

---

"Yeah, I've heard he killed himself." Marie answered, looking directly into Link's eyes.

"Well, he didn't kill himself, but he's dead anyway." The elf corrected.

"Oh, really? Who killed him?" She asked, slightly surprised.

"I'm trying to find that out. Could you tell me about your relationship with him?"

"Well, there was a little romance between us. We went out a couple of times and I did really fall for him, but when I heard he had a wife I called it quits." She kept a break. "I mean, I don't want to get involved with married men, there'll only be trouble if their wives get to know."

"Did he try to contact you after that?"

"Yeah, the guy called me all the time, sometimes he begged, sometimes he threatened me, but I always hung up because I couldn't stand him anymore."

"How did he threaten you?"

"He had taken these pictures of me and well, he said he'd send them to the local newspaper if I wouldn't go out with him. But I knew he wouldn't do that."

"How did you know?"

"I… I just did. He's not the type of guy." She said simply.

"Do you know anyone else he would've been threatening with pictures?" Link asked, smiling a bit.

"Well, Asuka. Asuka Shiratori. She was my best friend until she got to know that I went out with Kazuki."

"I've already spoken with Asuka. No one else?"

"Well, a few probably, but I don't know any names. I didn't see him so much, he always had work to do." She sat down with two cans of coke. "You want?"

"Thank you." The elf took the cold coke thankfully. "Could you tell me was Asuka in a theatre club or have you been in one?"

"I was once, but I quit it when I started singing in the band. I think she was too, but she quit when I quitted because she didn't really like the people there."

"Oh, okay."

"Why did you ask?" She queried.

"I'm just curious. Have you ever met Mrs. Ueda?" The elf asked, thinking that she would probably answer 'no.'

"No, I haven't met her. When Kazuki wouldn't stop calling me I called her and told her to get a grip of her husband, start giving him or something, do anything to make him stop stalking me."

"What about Mrs. Hayama?"

"Mrs. Hayama? I've never heard her name." She answered after wondering for a while.

"Okay, then. Well, thanks for your time, Marie. You helped me a lot."

"It's nothing, I'm just happy to help." She escorted him to the door and closed it behind him, smiling all the time. Link began smiling as well, the murder was starting to come clear to him. He would now go back to the office, write his hypothesis of what happened and ask Roy could it have been like that. Assuming the boy was there.

When he arrived to the headquarters, the boy was in his office, browsing through some papers.

"Hey, Roy. Long time no see." He smiled at his love a little mischievously, sitting in his chair. "You find anything?"

"Yeah. The knife contained only Asuka's fingerprints, but the blood on it was Mr. Ueda's. The fingerprints belonged to many people, mostly to Mr. Ueda himself. And the hair… it belongs to Marie, but knowing that she and Mr. Ueda had a relationship we can't prove it was her. I wonder why did Asuka leave the knife there, on the floor so that we could easily find it?"

"Maybe she wants to get caught?"

"I don't know. I don't think she did it at all. Anyway, Mrs. Hayama told me that she wasn't the only one Mr. Ueda was pulling moves on. He had an eye for women, he was basically trying to hit everyone." Roy said, still not lifting his eyes from his papers.

"I have a theory."

"Listen." The boy ignored him. "I think we should bring Asuka in for questioning. She's clearly not telling us everything."

"Good idea, anyway, listen to me now." Link said, looking at him with a knowing look. The redhead was still a little embarrassed of what had happened last night. That was why he avoided his gaze. "I met Marie Caruso. She didn't seem too sad Mr. Ueda died. Actually, she spoke of it like we would've been talking about the weather. I think she killed him. Maybe Asuka knew her and she went to her apartment, dropping the knife on the floor so that we would suspect Asuka. She's from a rich family, she could've bought the police."

"Mm-hm. Maybe we should try questioning her too." Roy answered. "But she might try silencing us too and boss would probably accept it. Let's go for Asuka first."

"Yeah, my love." The Hero said, leaning over the table, lifting Roy's face with his finger, looking directly into his sapphire blue eyes. The boy blushed a bit and he smiled gently. He gently only pressed his lips on his, keeping them there lightly for a while, wondering why wasn't the general pushing him away and leaving. Maybe he was starting to realise that there really was nothing wrong with loving a guy. Maybe he was just too horror-struck to do anything.

"Let's go", he said when he ended the kiss if it could even be called a kiss. "Before I get any wilder ideas." He smirked at Roy, who blushed crimson, trying to say something, but swallowing it every time.

Asuka was nervous when the brought her for questioning. She sat in the chair in the tiny room, looking like a scared rabbit that wanted to run away and hide in a bush. She kept looking at the clock ticking calmly on the wall.

"Asuka." Link used her first name to get her attention, her scared eyes fixing on him.

"Y-yes?"

"Tell us everything you know about Mr. Ueda's death." The redhead put the recorder on the table on.

"I don't kno-know anything." She answered, trembling.

"You do. The knife was found in your apartment." Roy said calmly. "If we want to, we can put all the blame on you because the fingerprints on that knife belong to you. If it wasn't you, you should tell us now who killed him."

"I don't know." She repeated, defiantly this time, but still scared as hell.

"Well, we have time." Link ascertained cheerfully. "I could tell you what I think. You tell me if it's true, okay?"

"I don't know anything." She tried to look defiant, but her eyes looked more and more scared all the time.

"I think that Mr. Ueda was staying at your place for the night, you got in a fight and he decided to leave. When he left, you were still boiling with anger, maybe because he had told you that he wouldn't be able to give you money anymore, you took the knife and ran after him, stabbed him as many times as you could, then came back and started crying when you realised what you had done. You called his wife and told her to buy the cops, telling her that you had only done her a favour. Am I right?"

"I… I didn't do it!" She screamed.

"Hey, Link." The redhead said to the elf next to him. "Let's go to the corridor."

The Hero looked at him a little surprised, but stood and started towards the door.

"C-can I go now?" Asuka asked shyly.

"No. We'll be back soon." Roy told her, smiling a little.

As the elf closed the door, the redhead sighed.

"She's not talking."

"But she will."

"We could use our time to find more clues."

"You go and I keep interviewing her." Link said calmly.

"Vice versa. _You_ go and_ I_ keep interviewing her." The general corrected, switching his weight from his other leg to his other.

"Okay. Whatever you want, my love." The elf bowed, causing Roy to blush a little, then left swiftly, his boots clomping against the floor. The redhead took a deep breath and went back, smiling tiredly at Asuka.

"Okay, Asuka." He said.

"Y-yes?" She fixed her eyes on him, waiting for something really bad.

"We'll either do this the easy way or then we'll do this the hard way. Which one do you want?"

"I don't know anything." She repeated once again, afraid.

"Would this jog your memory a bit?" The general took the knife in a plastic bag on the table. "As you said, you don't cook. Then _why _does this blood match the one of Mr. Ueda's?"

She went paler than what she already was, trembling.

---

Link came to the harbour, looking around peacefully, searching for the spot where Mr. Ueda had been attacked and killed. Somewhere near it would be clues for sure, the way in which Mr. Ueda had been killed indicated that the killer had attacked him spontaneously, maybe in a fit of rage. Maybe after she had killed him she had realised what she had done and panicked, knowing that the police would find the body… When in panic, one doesn't think clearly. That was probably why the body had been left there and hadn't been dragged out of sight. Maybe he could find a pair of gloves, maybe more hairs, hopefully even something.

He went under the police line, already looking for a place where someone might toss the evidence when in panic. A box would be perfect. All kinds of small holes could do the trick. He began searching, pretty sure that he'd find something.

After several hours of searching he finally gave up. He had found some footsteps, but they could belong to anyone. It was no use taking them and get them scanned and all that trouble. They could nail the murderer if she confessed. They just needed to bring all of the suspects in for a little chat and eventually one of them would start singing like a little bird on sunny spring morning.

He got his stuff and began walking back to the headquarters, wondering had Roy made any progress with Asuka. He knew that the general had a fiery temper, he flared up just like that so Asuka might've got so afraid of him that she would've confessed.

If she had done it.

---

The elf entered the room quietly and sat down next to Roy silently. The boy nodded to him before continuing with Asuka:

"What you couldn't?"

"I couldn't kill him! I _loved him!_" She screamed, her eyes watering. "_She _did it! I didn't do it!"

"Who did it?" Roy asked, his curiosity rising.

"I don't know!" She had realised what she had said and tried to back away now.

"_Who _did it?" Roy repeated his question, looking at her sternly.

"_I don't know!_"

"Yes, you do, now quit the crap!" He snapped at her, rising his voice only a bit, but calming down as Link touched his hand.

She looked scared. Then she began sobbing. "I… I only accompanied… They… They did it. They made me hold the knife… They made me, I didn't do it… I…" She sobbed quietly.

"Who are they?" Link asked soothingly.

"They… They… Marie… Karen… and they… those others…" She cried. "I didn't do it!"

"Give us their names." Roy commanded strictly.

"Ma-Marie Caruso…" Asuka sobbed again, covering her mouth with her hand. "Karen… Karen Ueda…. Hinoto Sakurazuka… Jessica Applegate… Heidi Schneider…" She spoke quietly, the redhead wrote their names down in a list.

"I… was just there… I just… they held my hand and forced me to stab him, look into his eyes… his scared eyes… look into them and stab him… again… and again…" She waved her hand like she would've slowly been stabbing someone.

"Thank you, Asuka." Link said kindly, touching her hand. "We'll do everything we can to rid you of the charges, but those others, did they all stab him?"

"Y-yes… They all wanted to kill him… for those pictures… and all…"

"Okay, could you stay here while we bring the others?"

"Ye-yes." She remained there, sitting in her place as they left.

---

"What? You believe that stupid bitch?" Marie Caruso yelled at them as she was put in handcuffs. "She's trying to make us look guilty!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." One of the cops said.

"How are you gonna prove it was us?" Jessica screamed.

"Yeah, you don't have any evidence!" Heidi barked at them angrily.

"But we do." Link said calmly. "We have lots and lots of evidence, plus a person who confessed. We can get you into prison for a long long time."

The girls were quiet. Then Marie looked at the others and began:

"What evidence do you have?"

"Mr. Ueda's coat, the knife you used to kill him with some fingerprints, we found fabric of some of yours clothes, shed hairs… We can nail you pretty badly." Link lied like he would've been born to do it. Mostly it was the truth, but they couldn't nail them with the evidence they had.

"How… how can we help ourselves?" Heidi asked, her anger now gone.

"Confess and it takes two and a half years away from your sentence."

"Hey, hey girls!" Marie looked around her. "We can't confess! What if they're just bluffing?"

"I don't think they are…" Jessica said, looking at Roy. "They look pretty serious."

"Yeah… I did it." Heidi confessed. "I stabbed that son of a bitch five times and I enjoyed every second of it." She said calmly, almost happily.

"Heidi!" Marie looked at her angrily. "You fucker! Traitor!"

"I did it too." Jessica said sadly. "But he deserved it."

Marie looked at Hinoto, who kept looking at the two with a calm look, observing were they lying. "Hinoto?"

"Hm?" She turned to look at her.

"I'm sorry." Marie said, looking defiantly at Link. "I did it. I fucking did it. And I would do it again. I would stab him and beat him and kill him again and again if I could, that motherfucker!"

Hinoto gazed at her calmly, then at the investigators. "I guess I'm the only one who hasn't confessed."

"Yes, you are." Roy said, looking at her with a smile. "It seems like you want a bigger piece of the cake, huh?"

"No, I want Karen to confess first."

"She has already confessed." Link answered quickly, pointing at the police car, where a dark figure was sitting, hanging her head. She looked at them, but her sorrow on her face couldn't be seen. Hinoto flinched, frowning a bit. She licked her lips quickly: "Fine. I did it too."

"Good. Now let's get to the headquarters and get your confessions on paper." One of the cops said as he guided the girls to the police car. They looked all a little miserable, of course sad that they'd been caught. Maybe they would vow revenge to them, maybe they would try to live normally after they would get out of prison, Link didn't know, but he would be prepared to get death threats. Roy was the only one he wanted to protect.

---

"Tell us exactly what happened." Roy put the recorder on once again, leaning back in his chair, crossing his hand on his chest. He felt how Link put his hand on his thigh, pressing it a little. He blushed crimson and began coughing a bit, causing the elf to let go.

"You okay?" Heidi asked.

"Ye-yeah… I just… something got stuck in my throat."

"Okay, then, begin." Link hurried. "Before he suffocates in his anxiety."

"We know each other from school and we all had accounts in mailfriends, it's an Internet service to get friends. Well, the fucker contacted us and he was going out with all of us _at the same time. _At school we spoke about our guys and were surprised that they all had the same name, until we realised it was him."

"He… He was such a wonderful guy…" Asuka sobbed quietly.

"Well, we all told him to choose one of us and he still continued to meet us. He always said that 'You're the one I want to be with'" Jessica continued. "We found out about it again and this time, we were enraged."

"He _took pictures _of us, naked, some really perverted!" Heidi snorted.

"We made a plan. He would go to Asuka's place one night, she would send him home and he always walked through the harbour because there was so nice and quiet, we decided to kill him there."

"We stabbed and we stabbed… We watched how he was in pain, how he cried that he was sorry, how he said he would make everything good again, he would fix everything. We only stabbed him again, watching how he suffered like we did." Marie spoke with anger in her voice, such anger they couldn't understand. Mr. Ueda had _humiliated_ her, took pictures of her, he had taken away all her grace and then threatened to put her pictures in the Internet and the papers for everyone to look at.

"I bought the police, I wanted him out of my life and when Marie called me, telling that Kazuki was pulling moves on her and that she would kill him if he would continue, I told her to let me help. I was more than relieved to hear that they were about to kill him." Karen Ueda said calmly.

"What about you, Hinoto?" Link asked, looking at the calm girl.

"I only stabbed him." She answered shortly.

"I guess that does it." The elf said, switching the recorder off and getting on his feet. Roy called for the guards. "You want to know something, girls?"

"What?" Asuka asked, looking at them wide-eyed.

"We _didn't _have any proof." He said before they disappeared out of the door. They heard angry shouts, swearing and screaming after them, death threats, fuck you's, and so on. It was clear that the girls were outraged, they had confessed because Link had been so believable.

"Hey, Roy." The elf said, looking at the redheaded general as they entered their office.

"Hm?" The boy fixed his eyes on his ceruleans.

He closed the door by kicking it gently, smiling at his love, whose eyes were wide now, he hadn't been expecting any of this. "Can I have a hug?"

"Huh?" Roy was blushing, looking surprised.

He pulled the boy near, resting his hands on his hips. The general turned his face away from him, looking at the ground. "Last night's still bothering you?" He asked kindly.

Roy avoided his gaze when he said: "Nothing happened."

"I think… I think something happened." The elf said, trailing his finger on Roy's jaw line, bringing his face near his to look into his eyes. "I think something happened right here." He pressed his hand gently on the teen's chest, right where his heart beat under his ribcage. "Am I right?"

Roy's eyes clouded, it seemed like he was looking through him for a while. Link wasn't sure had he seen the boy's eyes watering a little, it seemed like there was utter pain inside him, hiding behind the cloudy eyes. Roy opened his mouth, only a little.

Link looked at him for a passing moment, holding him there. He was so beautiful in his own, fierce way, in his own cute way. The elf tried to see into him, through his deepest defences to see why he wouldn't love guys, why it was such a pain to him. Why wouldn't he accept his love when he was clearly feeling the same way as Link? They could be so happy together.

He pressed his lips on Roy's, giving him a loving kiss, enjoying every second of it. He slipped his fingers between the boy's, holding his hands gently. The room felt so quiet; all the voices from the corridor seemed to blur and fade away, the traffic outside was just a distant hum before fading away completely, not even the clock ticked on the wall.

And not even once did Roy try to push him away.

---

So, what do you think? I'm going to add Marth in the next episode and Young Link begins to feel like his bigger self. And then the soup starts to be ready… Of course, Link'll keep on trying to get Roy, but will he succeed? What if Roy gets killed? What if Link stops loving him and goes to Marth?

Stay tuned, I'd love to hear your thoughts so get clicking the button below! And thank you for reading!


	6. Sic Itur ad Astra Part 01 Shoot the Bast...

EPISODE 02: Sic Itur ad Astra Part 01 Shoot the Bastard!

---

"You should give up." Young Link said calmly as they sat around the table, eating a meal he had done.

"I can't. I love him too much." Link answered as he would've been talking about the weather.

"He'll never admit his love towards you."

"Oh, he will. I just need to give him time."

"It doesn't help at all. He doesn't love you, not now or ever."

"Aren't you optimistic... Time is all he needs." Link ascertained gently, thinking about the boy he loved so much.

"How long have you been harassing him? A year? How long will it take for you to realize that even if he loved you, he'll never admit it." Young Link argued.

"Stump, I believe there will be a day when he needs me and that day will open his eyes. Then he'll realize he loves me just like I love him." The elf took some more lasagne. "And when that day comes, I'll be there, ready to be taken by him."

"A few more clichés and I'll puke." Young Link said and fell silent. They ate in silence for a while. "What if that day never comes?"

"Don't worry. It will come."

"I wonder if I'll ever be so much in love as you to be blind to the facts." The small elf said scornfully.

The Hylian laughed at his smaller self. "When you find that one your heart desires, you'll be just as blind as I am."

"Hmph. I don't want to become you."

"Is something the matter? You act like you're mad at me." Link asked, looking at Young Link.

"I'm not. I'm just sad that I'll turn out to be just like you." The tiny elf finished his meal and took his plate to the kitchen table.

"How encouraging. I'm going to go to the grocery store." Link said as he left, not wanting to do the washing up. As he closed the door he heard how Young Link shouted after him:

"It's your turn to wash the dishes tomorrow then!"

He chuckled. They both tried to avoid washing up as much as possible. To him it was just a lot easier, being the caretaker.

"Better bring me candy!" The young elf shouted after him.

All the way to the grocery store he hoped that he would've bumped into Roy and see his pretty blue eyes, his well-built body, his innocent face. The image of a blushing Roy was burned into his mind, a sweet memory he didn't want to let go. He wanted to cherish the boy until the end of time and even after that. There would be nothing that could come between them.

When he entered the store, he looked carefully around to see was the general there, buying some food for him and Marth. They lived together, and worked in the same place, but saw each other rarely because of their professions. Roy was working with Link anyway and Marth was in violent crimes, working together with someone… someone named Captain something. It seemed like Marth didn't enjoy his company too much and tried to avoid him as much as possible.

He bought what he needed to buy. Some milk for Young Link (the boy drank milk like camel drinks water), some pizzas, a few beers in case Roy came over. He chuckled at the thought and the memory made him feel warmagain.

Link was walking home, as he bumped to someone he hadn't expected to.

"Link! Hi!" The blue-haired swordsman said. "Long time no see, huh?"

"Yeah, hi, Marth!" Link smiled. "Great to see you."

"Let's go here, okay?" The noble looked around like a scared rabbit and dragged him into a bar where a girl sang sweetly on the stage. The air was filled with smoke from cigarettes. People seemed to be having fun, they were all laughing, toasting for all kinds of things and laughing even more.

"Marth, I…" He tried to protest, he wanted to go home, not into a bar.

"I don't want to be here either, but I need to hide."

"Hide?" The elf looked at his friend. "From who? Did you anger Roy?" He added jokingly.

"Worse. Peach's decided that we get married." The prince lead him to a table in the dark corner where no one coming in could see them.

"But you broke up with her, didn't you?" The Hylian asked, looking a little confused.

"Yeah. But you see… breaking up with_ her_ isn't so easy." Marth was clearly troubled. He looked at the empty table in front of him with a sad expression for a while.

"That's why I prefer men." Link tried to get a smile from him and succeeded. The noble let out a small laugh, still not lifting his eyes from the table.

"I've been hiding like a rabbit for a week now. It's getting really tiring." He became serious again.

"I think you should go and see her and tell her to her face that you don't love her, you don't marry her."

"You're right I guess. It's just that… she doesn't listen."

"Come over to my place and we'll talk there. It's a little hard to speak with you here in this noise and these fumes." The elf said kindly. He wanted to help his poor friend.

"Thank--" They heard a shot and a pained groan. Still in a shock they looked at the stage, the singer girl had a smoking gun in her trembling hands and she looked defiantly at that someone she had just shot. The elf got up to see how badly her bullet had hit. She noticed him hurrying to the man she had shot and pointed at him with the gun, breathing heavily, as if she would've wanted to shoot him in the head right then.

"Don't move!" She commanded.

The elf stopped, lifting his hands in the air. Marth had followed him and when she told them to stop, spoke:

"Lady, that man needs immediate medical care. Let me help him."

"I don't want you to help him!"

"Please, put the gun down." Link said softly.

"NO!" She screamed at him as he slowly walked towards her. "That son of a bitch doesn't deserve to live!"

"We'll speak about that… just put the gun down." Link took another step towards her.

She grimaced, clearly getting ready to pull the trigger."If you get any closer, I'll shoot your head off!"

She pulled the trigger out of fear as Link's phone began ringing in his pocket.

---

Roy took a cup of coffee, but somehow the cup slipped from his hand and fell to the floor, crashing into millions of pieces, the brown liquid spraying around.

---

Poor Link…Well, here it was, I hope you're not disappointed because after a long wait you get a crappy chapter. I don't like this episode at all, but it's important for the main plot.

Thanks for reading, review if you want to!


	7. Sic Itur ad Astra Part 02 These Feelings...

EPISODE 02: Sic Itur as Astra Part 02 These Feelings of Mine

---

The elf had closed his eyes, waiting for the pain to hit him hard where she had shot him. But there wasn't any pain. He slowly opened his eyes to see for himself had she hit him or not. She had missed him, maybe because her hands trembled so badly and now she was looking at him, getting ready to shoot again. Marth was kneeing next to the man who had been shot.

"May I answer?" He asked and nodded at his pocket.

She just looked at him, holding the gun, breathing heavily. He slowly took the phone from his pocket and answered, hearing Young Link's clear childish voice.

"What's taking you so long?"

"Uh… We got into a bar with Marth." The elf said, looking cautiously at the singer.

"You were supposed to go buy some food!" The boy said accusingly. "Or did Marth pull moves on you?"

"Actually, Mini, call to the hospital and tell them that there's a wounded man, shot in Seventh Heaven, okay?"

"Shut up!" The singer screamed. "Close the phone!" Link obediently switched his mobile phone off.

"I'll kill everyone of you!" She turned her gun towards Marth. "You! Don't go near him! I want him to die!"

_What should I do? _The elf thought, not really knowing should he try to do something or not.

Finally his curiosity took him over and he had to ask:

"Ummm… What's your name?"

She looked at him for a while with doubt in her eyes. "…Natasha…"

"Natasha… Please, put the gun down and let the paramedics come here and do their job. Otherwise you'll be charged with murder." Marth said kindly, looking into her chocolate brown eyes.

She hesitated for a moment. Then her eyes began flaming and she shouted:

"NO! You will put me in jail!" She screamed at them. "I will never go to jail!"

"I'll do everything I can to avoid you getting into prison." The noble assured, calmly stepping closer to her, offering her his hand.

"No! You're lying!" She screamed. "Everyone! Over there! Sit down on the stage and shut the--

_Here comes violence_, Link thought.

--up!" She waved at the stage lit with all kinds of colours, from red to purple and the floor was a mirror, flashing the colours to the roof. Almost everyone ran quickly there, some crying, some screaming, some just trying to survive. Link exchanged a look with Marth. They needed back-up.

He hoped that Young Link had been smart enough to call Roy and tell him what had happened. The general would've understood to call the S.F.B.I. headquarters and request for help and a negotiator. Only thing was that… the negotiator wasn't just anyone. Cruel how Peach always seemed to find Marth.

_She_ was the negotiator.

"You two as well!"

"This man will die if you won't let us help him and you will surely be charged with a murder then!" The noble said strictly. It was the first time Link had ever seen him raise his voice. Usually he always kept his cool and remained calm, but the loss of human lives seemed to upset him.

Natasha looked at Marth for a while, hatred shining in her eyes like metal shines in sun. She was shaking a little, trying to crush the blue-haired warrior by looking at him with such anger that it automatically drew her mouth into a grimace, showing her clenched teeth. Marth kept looking at her with his cobalt eyes, the sadness of losing a life in them, pleading for her to let him help the man.

"Get to the stage or I'LL kill you!" She finally shouted.

The noble seemed to wonder what he should do. If he would refuse, she might either let him help the man or then calmly shoot a bullet through his heart.

"Marth… It's better to lose only one life than two." The elf looked at his friend, knowing that he would understand, but would he want to leave the man to die and save his own life?

---

Roy had just collected all the broken pieces from the floor and wiped away the spilled coffee when his phone began ringing like a baby starts crying when it's hungry for food. Without drying his hands, he took the phone and answered:

"Yes?"

"Roy, Roy!"

"What's wrong, Young Link?" The general heard the panic and fear in the boy's voice and waited for the worst. Had Link gotten himself into hospital or maybe even killed?

"Link! Link's stuck! In a bar, Seventh Heaven! There's--there's someone pointing at him with a gun!"

"Young Link, stay there and remain calm, don't go anywhere. I'll pick you up and we'll go down there to see what's going on, okay?" He realised that his own heart was speeding up, ironical as it was, he was telling the boy to remain calm and he was starting to show signs of panic himself.

"O-okay." The boy seemed relieved in the other end of the phone.

"Good. See you soon." The redhead hung up and called 911. He gave them the address of Seventh Heaven and told them about the possible situation there. Then he bolted out of the door to pick up Young Link and head for Seventh Heaven himself.

---

When they arrived there were already many police cars and lots of cops, one paramedics team and an ambulance. They both looked at the ambulance with growing horror, all kinds of thoughts running through their heads. Finally Roy tried to turn the young boy's attention from it to something else:

"I think there's the leading officer. Let's go have a talk with him."

"Roy…" The small elf stopped, wiping his eyes.

"What?" The redhead looked at the small blonde, who looked so cute and so scared. He was almost trembling, standing shakily. He was like the teddy bear version of Link.

"What if… what if something has happened to Link?" The tiny elf brought up the thought he had wanted to force out of his mind but which had been eating at his mind ever since he had received the call from Young Link.

"We shouldn't think about that. What we need to think about now is how to stay calm and try to figure out just how horrible the situation is in there."

_Easier to say than do, _the general thought, trying to swallow his own fears for the child. If he panicked, Young Link would panic and nothing good could come of it.

"If we start panicking now because we're guessing has something happened to Link, we might not know what's going on in there in _time._ Understood?" He said kindly, grasping the small elf's shoulders. Oh, they felt so fragile, he was afraid that if he pressed a little harder they would break.

"Y-yeah…" Young Link swallowed his tears, looking at him with watering eyes. "Roy, I don't want him to get hurt." He spontaneously did what felt safe and comforting, he freed himself from Roy's grasp and hugged him, hugged him really tight. He didn't feel safer before the general rested his hands on his back gently.

"Come on, Young Link. Maybe we can help somehow."

Peach was trying to call Link, sitting in the back of a van, looking at her nails as they found her.

"Have you heard anything?" The general asked.

"Not yet. But why's that kid here?" She asked, pointing at Young Link, still adoring her probably freshly painted nails.

"Link's his caretaker and he can't spend the night alone at home."

"Well, then keep him out of the way."

"Of course. Just let me know if you get into any contact with those inside." The general said as he guided the by farther away from her. They got into another van and Young Link sat down, taking a hold of Roy's hand and pressing close for warmth and shelter. He looked at the boy gently, hoping that he wouldn't need to be a part of this, that he wouldn't need to know anything of it. But if he was even a little like the older elf he knew so well, he could handle the situation.

He smiled encouragingly to him and sat down next to him.

"You want something?" He asked, trying to sound like nothing was wrong.

"Many things, actually." The boy said seriously. "To start off with, I'd want to have my own car…" He was smiling.

_So…__ Link-like_, the general thought.

"Porsche." He blinked at the boy, wondering how both of them were able of avoiding the worry when they needed to and try to find something funny and nice from the situation around them.

"I'll go talk with Peach for a while, if you have any problems, just come there." He pointed at the van where Peach had been sitting.

"Okay." He nodded.

---

"Natasha…" The elf began, he and Marth were both sitting near the man who had been shot, trying to do their best to make the bleeding stop.

"Yes?" She turned, pointing at him with the gun.

"If someone calls me, can I answer? It might be the paramedics."

"Fine."

"Also…"

"What?" She was getting annoyed by him.

"I… I just wanted to ask one thing of you."

"You already did."

"No, I mean, if my phone rings and it's the one I love, may I speak with him?"

"HIM?" She screeched. "You're gay!"

"Yeah." He smiled at her, mischievously. "But I'm still a man… sort of."

"Is this… guy… you love. Is he gay too?" She asked, he had gotten her interest and if he would get close enough, he might be able to snatch the gun from her hand and everything would be fine.

"No. You see, that's the tragedy. Everyday, and every moment I wish he would call me and tell me that he loves me as well." He said, trying to sound as miserable as possible. What he had said had almost been true, except that he knew that Roy loved him back.

"That's why I'd want to answer if he calls me."

"Okay. But I want to listen."

"Then don't freak out if things get really hot." The elf winked.

---

Roy jumped out of the van and walked to the princess, who was now painting her toenails. For god's sake, her 'love of life' was in there and she wasn't even panicking. She was just painting her nails.

The boy sighed. "Did you talk to anyone there?"

"No." She answered shortly, clearly implying that she wanted him to get the hell out of there and leave her alone so that she could finish painting her toenails in peace.

"Try Link's cell phone. He might answer."

"Okay, whatever." She rolled her eyes, mad at him that he had interrupted her moment of beauty. She dialled and the general felt like something was stuck in his throat. Suddenly he saw an image of Link, shot, blood colouring his green tunic… And he wanted to cry. Maybe the elf had been killed, maybe he had tried to solve the situation by himself and the results hadn't been so happy.

He tried to assure himself that Link wouldn't be so dumb to risk himself in a situation like that. Except if something had happened to Marth, he could've done that. There it was again, that pain that hurt in his chest. He didn't want to accept it, but he was deathly afraid for Link and _missed _him. He wanted to hear his voice again and feel his arms around him, but he denied it.

"Hello?" She asked. "Oh, good. Hey, what's the situation there?"

"Is it Link?" The general asked, every single cell of his body was tensing up, waiting for her answer.

"Yes." The princess said to him. Roy felt a strange emotion, it felt like a stone had been lifted off his heart and suddenly he could breathe. The air flowed to his lungs freely and it felt so good.

"He wants to talk to you." Peach gave the phone to him and he almost dropped it, being so excited and so nervous.

"Link, are you there?" Roy asked worriedly.

"Yes, I'm here." Link answered calmly. "How are you, my love?"

"Link, quit the crap! You're in a hellish situation there!" Roy flared up, he didn't want the elf to be joking in a situation like this.

"Yeah, I know."

"Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." The elf answered as coolly as taking a soda from a machine.

"Link, listen. You've got to talk to her… talk her out of this…"

"Roy."

"Yes?"

"I miss you."

"I…" _I miss you too. _It had almost escaped his lips. He almost gasped, covering his mouth with his hand as if the words were forcing themselves out. "I… I know." He said finally.

"I hope you miss me too." The Hylian continued calmly.

_I do! _His heart cried in his chest, suddenly and it took him by surprise. He could only stare in front of him, wondering what the hell was going on in him?

He _definitely _wasn't falling in love with Link.

Definitely.

Absolutely.

---

Okay, I know this episode is crappy, at least until... yeah, so just try to be patient.

Thank you for reading, you know how I feel about your reviews, don't you? -laughs-


	8. Sic Itur ad Astra Part 03 Only a Kiss?

EPISODE 02 Sic Itur ad Astra Part 03 Only a Kiss?

"Link… Just try to keep everyone calm. We'll do what we can." He stuttered, looking at the ground. He didn't want to hear anything more from Link about his feelings, something might actually happen, he might actually say something.

_Would it be so bad? _His subconscious brought up the question that seemed to dwell in his mind pretty often these days. He didn't know. All he knew was that he didn't _want _to love a guy and he would do everything he could in order to avoid that. If he would start falling in love with Link, he would be weird. He _needed _to avoid it.

"I'll do my best, my love. I love you. Can you give it to Peach so that I can give this to Natasha?"

"I l-- I'll do that. Take care of yourself." He handed the phone to Peach, who nodded:

"Yes? Hello, Natasha."

The general sighed, there was that something hurting in his chest, but he wanted to keep ignoring it. It was just growing like a tumour, hurting more and more all the time… except when he was with Link. Was it longing? _NO. _It couldn't be longing. He wasn't in love with Link.

He wondered why Natasha had let Link speak to him so easily. Maybe the elf had said something nice to her or flattered her, it didn't really matter. All that mattered was that Link had wanted to speak to him and they had been able to exchange a few words.

Roy walked to the small elf and saw him fallen asleep. He smiled gently at him and brushed the few strands of golden hair away from his face to see the cute features of his face that reminded him so much about Link. Of course, they were the same person, but still. Seeing Young Link in a peaceful slumber made him feel a little calmer and tranquiller than what he had felt in a while.

He woke up as Peach walked to him, talking in the phone all the way.

"Yes. Natasha, is there anything we could give you to let those people out of there? No, it's enough if you let the wounded man get to the hospital, you would be saving his life, Natasha. Yes. Yes, that's right. Don't hang up, Natasha. Natasha!" She looked at her phone, clearly offended. "That bitch hung up!" She shouted to Roy, who was still a little drowsy and had no idea of what was going on, only the worry of Link was fresh in his mind, eating at his thoughts.

"Huh?" He asked, brushing his hair out of his view.

"Natasha hung up! She's pissed about something now!" The general was wide awake immediately after he heard that.

"I need to call Link!"

"No, you might only anger her!"

"What if something's happened to him?"

"Then there's nothing we can do!"

The redhead looked at his feet, feeling worried and scared. Peach noticed that, and sat next to him:

"Hey, take it easy. I'm sure your friend will be okay." She didn't really care about Link, no, but she didn't want to be a minute without a boyfriend to talk about to her friends. And Marth had seemed a little reluctant towards her recently. Maybe it was time to take the next one and see if he was ready to settle down and be stepped on by her.

"Yeah, I hope so too." The general answered, trying to smile, but his smile looked distorted, forced as it was.

Young Link whined a little in his sleep and the general reached towards him and touched his side gently to tell him that there was nothing to worry about through his dream.

"So… Have you got anyone?"

_Anyone? I've got Link to worry about now. _"I guess not…" He said rather absent-mindedly and heard how Young Link breathed faster and faster as if he had been running away from something.

"Wonderful!" She almost squealed and flashed a sweet smile, confusing the boy a little. "Would you like to go out with me?" Peach tried to look cute, avoiding his gaze a little like she would've been shy.

Roy blushed. He didn't really want to go out with her, but he couldn't say 'no.' She'd kill him and call him names and try to _eat_ him probably.

_MEEOOWWWRRRR!_

And he didn't want that. If he angered her, he would anger all her friends and that would mean… It would be bad. He saw no other option but to say 'yes.'

"Oh, sure." He finally answered, unenthusiastic. Maybe she would realise by herself that he wasn't interested.

"AAAHH! Link! I saw a nightmare!" Young Link sat up, startled from his sleep and saw Peach there with all her make-up on. "It's not over yet!"

The princess's hand was really fast and it hit Young Link right on his cheek. Poor boy, he was still so drowsy that he had no idea what it had been; he just sat there groping for someone to hug him.

"Let's call about it later then, okay?" She said sweetly before she left. He only nodded and let Young Link in his lap, trying to see had she hit him so hard that he had lost a few teeth. Gladly hadn't, but the small elf's cheek was as red as a tomato, it must've hurt as hell.

"She… She's a mean bitch." The boy spoke to his shirt.

"Make sure she doesn't hear us, I don't want my cheek coloured as well." The boy only pressed closer. It almost felt like he would've really been Link, except that his small hands didn't bring as much comfort as Link's adult's hands. He sighed. Maybe he really needed to accept that he missed Link, _as a friend_. Of course friends missed each other. He just didn't know how much. It was his heart he was trying to smother with lies, suffering of them only himself.

He didn't want to think about that now, there were more important things to worry about than his feelings towards Link. He needed to worry about getting them out of the building safe and sound, no harm done. But he felt exhausted. He hadn't slept well the last night, wondering about these stupid feelings inside him and now he was exhausted. Before he even knew, he was falling asleep.

It was a beautiful beach, the sun was shining brightly on the cloudless sky, some seagulls screamed in the harbour. The sea glittered beautifully in the rays of the sun, and the fresh breeze from the ocean played with his hair gently. He closed his eyes to breathe the scent of the ocean for a while.

When he opened them, he saw that someone. He couldn't see him clearly, only that someone swimming in the sea, playing with some kid and he was someone very special. And he couldn't tear his eyes off him, he was so beautiful. Then that someone noticed him and smiled, still he couldn't recognise him.

He smiled in return, a little dreamy, but a happy smile. That someone came closer, water dripping from his hair, glittering on his body, gluing his swimming pants on his thighs. Suddenly Roy felt that he needed to go closer to him to touch him and to feel that body, it was so beautiful and yearned for his touch.

That someone stood in front of him, gazing at him gently, offering him a hug and he wrapped his arms around him without hesitation, pressing so close that it almost hurt. He just held him there, in the calm breeze, on the sunny day and it felt so wonderful. He had never felt so happy in his life.

Roy let him go then to see him and to recognise him. To know who was this stranger who could just come to him and hug him and make him feel so happy and floaty. He saw the cerulean blue eyes, the golden bangs, the pointy ears and couldn't help it. He kissed him and the good feeling grew and when he touched him to get him even closer he felt so wanted and so safe.

Then that something happened. Someone, dressed in black came and took Link away from him and locked him in a building, out of his reach. He could still hear the elf crying for help and see him getting hurt. No matter how much he wanted to get in there or look away, there was nothing he could do. His eyes were forced to watch how the Hylian suffered, although they smarted he could not look away.

Then finally, someone came to the Hero and he tried to get to him even more furiously than before. That someone was holding a gun and pointed at the elf with it. Link turned to look at Roy, his face bleeding and said:

_"I miss you."_

And then there was a bang. And black.

"I miss you!" He woke up, breathing heavily. That was what Link had said to him in the phone. Why did he see a dream of it, why did he see a dream of him? How could Link make him feel so floaty and so happy, although it was only a dream? It all felt so weird, yet so good. And in the end… he knew he had to call Link.

---

Marth looked at Natasha talking with Peach, getting more and more uncomfortable with the idea that she was just outside the building, probably waiting for him to come out and attack him like she always did. And if he tried to resist her she started screaming things like 'You've been sleeping with someone else! How can you do this to me?' and all her friends came to him, ready to beat him up.

He needed some kind of an escape plan to get rid of her and get rid of her fast. He was ready for one beating; he could stand it if she left him in peace after that. He was getting ready for that, try to avoid it as much as he could, but if he needed to fight he would.

But what could he do to make her leave him alone? Every time he had tried to talk to her or anything she had either started crying or screaming and then came the boys.

_"Peach… I need to tell you one thing."_

_"What? Have you been cheating on me with someone?"_

_"No, but I do not love you anymore. I'm sorry."_

_"Are you telling me I'm not attractive anymore?"_

_"No, I'm sure someone will like you."_

_"Are you telling me that most of the guys don't like me because I'm ugly?"_

_"No, Peach, not at all. I'm just telling you that I'm not the right guy for you."_

_"You mean you want someone thinner and prettier, I know that!"_

_"No, I didn't mean it like that."_

_"You just wanted to sleep with me. You hate me now!"_

_"No, Peach…"_

_"It's true! You're just trying to hide it!"_

_"No, Peach, listen to me."_

_"There's nothing to listen! You hate me!"_

_"No, I don't hate you."_

_"You're just trying to make me feel better!"_

_"No, I'm not, this is the truth."_

_"So you want me to feel worse, huh? Not even trying to comfort me?"_

_"Peach, this is ridiculous. I'll talk to you when you've calmed down."_

_"Yeah, run away! Go ahead and find yourself some groovy blonde girl or a Latino babe maybe and screw her to seventh heaven! That's what you want isn't it? You men are all the same!"_

He found it a little funny how she could interpret everything so… upside down. No, it wasn't funny, it was weird. _She _was weird. He didn't want anything to do with her anymore.

"Wa…ter…" The man who had been shot tried to speak. The noble looked at him and bolted for the bar disk to get him what he wanted, not even thinking that he was as a hostage inside this building and if Natasha wanted, she could shoot him too.

"What are you doing?" She asked and he stopped.

"I'm getting him some water." He answered calmly.

"Okay, then do it fast." Natasha said sourly. "I want him to survive, but I want him to suffer like hell."

Marth saw Link looking at him, sitting on the edge of the stage, trying to smile an encouraging smile. He hurried back to the man and offered him the water, and he drank. After he had drank the noble used the rest of the water to clean the wound and took his shirt off to use it as bandage. When he was ripping it to shreds, Link's phone began ringing and he looked at Natasha, who nodded calmly.

"Hello?" The Hero said.

"Hi, Link. It's me, I just had to call. Are you okay?" It was Roy, sweet how the boy missed him so much yet he couldn't admit it. Suddenly he saw an image in front of him about the boy, standing alone in rain, looking at him through his wet bangs hanging on his face, looking miserable and cold. No, he looked like he needed a hug and a place to be safe.

"Hi." He said kindly, nodding to Natasha, who came closer to him. "I'm fine."

"Thank god." The boy answered, he was still breathing fast. "Link, I have to tell you something."

"What is it?" The elf's curiosity rose like a rocket to space.

"I… when you told me… that you miss me…" The boy paused.

"Yeah?"

"I… I kind of… miss you too… as a friend." Roy said, stammering a little.

"I know that, Roy. I love you too."

"…I didn't say I loved you." The redhead protested. Natasha giggled a little.

"Sorry… can't hear you… this is cracking up… I'm in a tunnel…"

"Link, stop it. "

"Have you made any progress out there?" The elf asked, following Marth trying to save the man's life.

"No, I don't think anyone's actually interested in getting you out of there." The general said, looking around and at the sleeping boy next to him. "Ask Natasha what does she want in return of letting all the prisoners go?"

"He wants to know what do you want in return of letting us all go."

"I don't want to be prosecuted. Nor do I want to go to jail. I want that man to DIE!" She flared.

"I think that's all." The elf said to Roy, who couldn't think of anything to say in return. "I love you, Roy." Then he hung up.

The redhead wouldn't wait any longer. He got out of the car, his adrenaline rising again. The sound of Natasha's voice on the background hadn't sounded very patient. He needed to find someone with authority to fulfil her wishes. If she lost her temper and began shooting around there, Link and Marth might get hurt.

_Actually, it's only Link you're worried. _His subconscious said scornfully.

_I'm worried about Marth too, he's my roommate. _He answered, he knew perfectly well what his subconscious had meant but he didn't want to listen to it and believe it.

He found the officer in charge and told him what Natasha had wanted when he started to laugh. He counted to ten in his mind, his temper rising because the man couldn't understand how worried he was.

"That's not what she wants." The man said after it. "You haven't even spoken to her, how would you know what she wants?"

"Well, what _does _she want?" The general asked scornfully.

"She said she wants someone to die, a car and some killer rabbit."

"Killer rabbit, huh?" The redhead asked, suddenly having a strong hunch that the rabbit had been Link's idea. And that it was the key to releasing all the prisoners. He shook his head quickly, that couldn't be, he was in such a shock that he was starting to think irrationally.

"Yes. Have you ever seen any Monty Python movies?"

"Yes, I remember the one with the Killer Rabbit." The boy answered.

"I wonder why'd she ask for that?"

"I wish I could talk to her. Right now I think that she somehow wants to feel superior because singing in a bar means the same thing as being a model, everyone criticizes you. She might've felt annoyed and then suddenly shot someone, deep down realising what she had done and that she would go to prison eventually, but I think she kept those people as hostages because she feels power over them."

"What does the rabbit do?" The officer asked impatiently.

"I think she might have some kind of a disorder. Maybe she's schizophrenic, though I highly doubt that. She might have some kind of an unbeatable tumour, which interrupts with her trail of thought. What if the rabbit of the movie has somehow lost its comedic meaning to her and she thinks of it as let's say… something like Godzilla."

"They say psychologists and loons have only one difference; psychologists can make bullshit sound reasonable." The officer laughed as he went. "We'll be waiting to get into contact with her later. You make a profile of her if you're so good."

"I will." _And I'll come kicking your ass with it. _The general thought as he walked towards the van where Peach was speaking to her phone. If he could have a word with her about Natasha or maybe even talk to Natasha herself, it would help him create a profile of her and conclude the best way to get her come out.

"Natasha… We are doing our best to get you the Killer Rabbit you want. Can you let our paramedics in now?"

"Can I talk?" The general asked, knowing perfectly well that he had just spoken with Link, but he needed to talk to Natasha now. The princess frowned a little, ready to kick him out of there, but remembered then that she was trying to seduce him, he wasn't hers already.

"Sure, sweetie." She said, handing the phone to him.

Roy blinked at her a couple of times, not being used to being called 'sweetie.' He had always been 'my love' but he didn't want to think about it now.

"Hello, Natasha." He said kindly.

"Hi, are you… ummm… Link's boyfriend?"

"WHAT?" The general felt how red rushed to his face, feeling Peach's curious gaze on him. The profile _had _to wait.

"Oh, I hope you would be. He misses you." She said like a child who was mad for not getting her candy.

The redhead was about to ask her to tell Link that he missed him too, but pulled the emotions back. He _wasn't _falling in love with Link. He _really really _wasn't starting to love him. Not now, not ever.

_But you do want to hold him now. _His subconscious attacked him again. Why did it have to be so mean? …And yet, every time it had said something it had been right. Roy pushed the thoughts away, he was making Natasha wait.

"I don't think we would make a good couple." He said finally.

"I want to see you, then I can say." Natasha answered as if she was some kind of a prophet.

"Would you want to see me today?"

"Yes!" She squealed.

"Great." The redhead said unenthusiastically. "How about… you alone come out to the backdoor and I alone come there to meet you?"

Peach was waving her hands in front of him, telling him to stop it, whispering that she might take a gun with her.

"Yes!"

"Only one thing, Natasha." The general continued calmly. "I'm deathly afraid of guns, so would you mind leaving it inside when you come?"

"How can you be afraid of guns?" She asked, a hint of disbelief in her voice.

"…I was shot a few years back." It was true, but it had been a colour bullet so there had been nothing but a bruise.

"Horrible!" Natasha took part in his pain. It was weird how she changed her moods all the time.

"How about you come there now?"

"Yeah!" She squealed again.

"Can you give the phone to Link for a while?" Roy asked and Peach rolled her eyes and left the van, obviously to tell the officer what he had done.

"Yeah!" Natasha handed the phone to the elf, Roy could hear her screams of happiness.

"There you call again." He heard Link's voice with a hint of mischievous grin. "What's wrong? Miss me so much that you're ready for phone sex?"

"I'm going to hang up now." Roy said, blushing furiously.

"No, please, don't." The Hylian answered quickly. "So what did you say to Natasha?"

"Just that I'll meet her."

"She'll force us to make out?" Link asked hopefully.

"No. And I wouldn't agree to that."

"I know. Roy, I miss you." Link knew that Roy would agree to make love to him after a small amount of alcohol, but he knew he better be quiet about it.

"…I miss you too." The general answered softly, quickly adding: "As a friend."

"I'm trailing my hand up your thigh…" The elf said sensually, waggling his eyebrows.

"Link!"

"Okay, okay." The Hero laughed heartily. He could see the blushing Roy in front of him so clearly. "She's leaving now. Call me anytime, handsome. 0400 – TAKEMEFAST."

"I hate you." The general laughed and closed the phone, hearing Link laughing as well in the other end. This was going to work. She was a dumb idiot and easy to fool. All he needed was to get her close enough to catch her wrist and that would be it. Link would be saved.

_And Marth too. _His subconscious remarked scornfully.

Peach was there, waiting for him to get out of the van.

"I can't believe you! You're so _brave!_" She squealed, wrapping her arms around him and he hugged her back, only because he knew she'd blame him for seeing another woman although they weren't even a couple yet. And somehow, he didn't want to be her boyfriend. He wanted someone else, but was too afraid to let his heart name that someone. Because it was a he.

"Yeah, right. I'll go now." He said, he couldn't care less about having her hanging in his arm any longer for some weird reason. Was this how Marth felt about her?

He walked quickly away from her, getting more and more aware of what he had done. He had promised to _go out _with her. That couldn't be good if he already wanted to get as far as he could from her. Also, going out with her would definitely affect his and Link's relationship. But there wasn't a relationship between the two of them. Not now, not ever. He assured himself about that. He liked _girls, _he liked their soft bodies, their nice candy perfumes, their sweet ways of being so vulnerable. He didn't like _guys, for god's sake. _He didn't want strong arms, hard muscles, someone like Link. Or did he?

She was there, waiting for him. He sighed, feeling how red rose on his face, knowing that she was checking him out, looking at his every muscle to judge was he good enough for Link.

_Like she knew him. _The redhead thought.

"So, you're Roy?" Natasha asked, smiling a little, moving her head a little like a chicken does.

"Yeah." The boy answered. "Do you have a gun with you?"

"No. I don't want to hurt you." She said kindly. Chicken-head.

"Would you come closer?" He asked, a little warily, knowing that she could run back inside and kill everyone if he did the wrong move.

"Yeah!" She ran to him and hugged him for no reason. He grasped her quickly and shouted for back up.

"You didn't!" She screeched. "You jerk! All men! I hate you! I'll escape and come to kill you!" Natasha kicked and tried to hit him, but he wouldn't let go. "I will! I will!"

"Shhh…." He tried to calm her down. He knew his own temper wouldn't last too long so he hoped that the officers would be fast.

It needed a few officers to get her off him, but when it had been done, another stalker attacked him.

Peach.

She ran to him, telling him how brave he was and how awfully scared she had been for him. She told him she had been getting ready for suicide if Natasha had killed him and how she would've cried if he would've died and at some point Roy's ears just got tired and stopped listening.

_So this is what it feels like to be Marth. _He thought as he pushed Peach away to go find Link.

The girl followed him and as they entered the bar, all the people started cheering. Then they started to crowd out of the building as fast as they could, some to see their children, some to call their best friend 'You don't believe what just happened', some just left.

Link was sitting on the edge of the stage, he hadn't noticed them coming in, Marth was with the paramedics trying to save the man. Roy felt a wave of relief pass through him as he saw the elf sitting there like nothing had happened, swinging his legs, watching the paramedics do their job.

The redhead was smiling, he had even noticed that Peach was standing next to him, holding his hand, looking at him like she would've been head over heels for him. Suddenly he saw Marth glance at them and run over to Link. Then it happened.

At first, he didn't believe what he was seeing. His heart didn't believe, and his mind was too shocked to even think about anything.

There was his best friend, Marth and Link, the one he didn't know what to feel about, _kissing _each other. And it wasn't just a casual kiss, like those you give on the cheeks, this one was directly on the lips and with such passion it was a wonder they weren't already making out. The noble was holding Link close with one hand and the other had tossed his hat away and held his hair. Link had one arm on blue haired swordsman's shoulders and the other on his lower back.

Marth kissed the elf more passionately and more deeply all the time, he didn't know why he did it, why he yearned the elf so much? He pressed him closer, tickling his palate with his tongue, feeling how Link's whole body reacted to it.

The general looked at them for a while, totally shocked. Then Peach woke him from his thoughts:

"Wow, Marth was gay all along." She said with amazement. "You know, I used to go out with him. But I think we're through."

"Yeah." Roy answered, still unable to think or move.

"Come on, honey." Peach dragged him out of the building. "When are we going out? Tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow's good." He said in a monotonic tone, his mind empty and something broken inside.

---

Ha! Didn't expect that to happen? Hopefully not… About catching Natasha so easily, don't go flaming me about it because the episode isn't over yet!

Anyway, stay tuned and thank you for reading! Reviews are appreciated as you probably already know!

Einstein is a cool dude, too.


	9. SIc Itur ad Astra Part 04 If I'm Queer A...

EPISODE 02: SIc Itur ad Astra Part 04 If I'm Queer, Am I a Freak?

---

Finally they pulled away, both gasping for air. The noble looked quickly around and sighed, relieved.

"I... I'm sorry, Link." He apologised. "But that… that was the only way to make Peach leave me alone."

"It-it's okay… I guess." The elf was still stunned; he wasn't used to someone kissing him. He was used to kissing Roy and now Marth had taken him by surprise. And it hadn't been just a casual kiss. It had been something far, far more.

Neither of them knew that Roy had seen the kiss. He had seen how they both had been in it, not just the kisser and the kissed, but both tongue-deep. And it had hurt, it had scarred him deep in his heart, it had felt like thousand daggers piercing him. It didn't hurt like normal pain, like when he had hit his foot when he had been cycling as a kid, not like he had seen other people kissing, but like those days when he had cried himself to sleep thinking that his father didn't love him.

Was it really that kind of pain? He couldn't understand. He didn't love Link, he never had and yet he felt so much pain seeing him kissing Marth like that. It couldn't be that he… that he…

_Don't be ridiculous._

…that he actually loved Link? His eyes watered, but he couldn't cry. He was so shocked and so pained that he couldn't do anything. He just walked after Peach to the van where Young Link was asleep. There was something inside him that had broken, he hadn't heard the sharp

_CLIRRRR_

sound of breaking, but he had felt it.

"Young Link." He called gently, he noticed that his voice was harsh and his throat dry. "Young Link, come on. Let's go home."

"Give me five more hours." The boy said drowsily.

"Young Link, we can go home now."

"Why?" The young elf turned.

"Because I say so!" The Hero walked to his little self and lifted him on his shoulder.

"Link…" The small boy said drowsily. "You're okay…"

"Yeah. And you've got school to go to too."

"I've got the car." Roy said unemotionally, not really knowing what he should do in a situation like this. He was confused. And he decided to keep it inside.

"Thank you, Roy, you saved us." The noble said, placing a hand on the general's shoulder. Roy looked at him with an empty look in his eyes, smiling an empty smile. Marth's brow furrowed and he asked:

"Is something wrong?"

"No", The redhead answered. "I… I'm just tired." He couldn't understand what was going on in him. He was feeling jealous and sad and happy and so many feelings that he couldn't name them. But mostly, he was sad. His heart was broken. Link had taken Marth instead of him. And he decided that no matter how hard and painful it would be, he would be happy for them and not try to break them up.

_What if Link wants you after all? _His subconscious asked. He looked at his feet, Link had kissed Marth like there wouldn't have been tomorrow. It had to be that they had somehow, in that small bar, got so close in just few hours that they had fallen in love, done the dances that he and Link had been doing for a year and voilá – They were a couple.

_But I'm not in love with Link! _He tried to assure himself. He tried to deny what was obvious. He had, in some way, already realised what he was feeling.

"I want to sit in the front!" Young Link climbed to sit next to him and he gave the little one a smile. The small elf looked at him, frowning, obviously seeing the pain and disappointment and sadness Roy was experiencing.

The redhead drew a deep breath, feeling jealousy gnawing his heart as Link and Marth got to the backseat together. What was surprising was that they weren't holding hands or looking at each other tenderly. Maybe they were just trying to keep it as a secret from him so that he wouldn't need to experience a broken heart.

He drove without a word; everyone was quiet, thinking. Link had one major thing to talk about: He had kissed Marth and it hadn't been a kiss to ward Peach off. Well, maybe at first but… something had happened. Something had created the spark and before they had realised it, the fire was out of hand. Was Marth really trying to tell him about his feelings? How would he tell him he loved Roy?

Young Link kept looking at Roy, who seemed to be empty, looking five years older than what he was. It troubled him to see Roy like that, it was obvious that he wasn't only tired, but something had happened. Either with Link or then with the bloody bitch, Peach.

Marth's mind was content because he had gotten rid of Peach, but he felt worry for his roommate and friend, Roy. He could see it in him, some sort of a huge pain. Maybe Peach had attacked him after she had seen the two of them kissing.

_P__oor __Roy__… _He thought.

Roy's mind was so sad that he couldn't even cry. His heart and mind had a battle inside him, a battle of what was normal and what was right, what he should do? He almost felt as if he was outside of his body, watching how two powers had a war inside him and both sides were very strong. Maybe his body would break. He would need to do something to empty all the pain, he couldn't just let the sadness and pain just pile inside him like a brick wall, one day there just wouldn't be any space for it anymore.

He stopped at Link's and gave the two another smile, leaving them in the night with worry in their eyes. Maybe they could see through him and some of the pain he was experiencing, but they had no idea how big the pain really was. He had lost Link. He had _lost _Link. He wanted to cry.

"Roy, are you sure you're okay?" The noble looked at him from the rear-view mirror.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He said the whole thing monotonically as a machine, not even noticing the weird tone of his voice.

"You don't seem fine. Did something happen with Natasha?"

"No. Marth, I'm really fine."

"Don't take me wrong, but I don't think you are. You're… you're… shocked." The prince rested a hand on his shoulder.

"Do you want to talk?"

"No, I'm fine." The general couldn't even get mad for Marth worrying over him like that, he couldn't feel anything but the pain. "I'm just tired, that's all."

"All right. Just… remember we can always talk, right?" The cobalt eyed man gave up, knowing that Roy wouldn't talk about it; it was something too painful to process this soon. He needed time to ruminate it and then _maybe_ they could talk.

"Yeah. I'll remember that. Thanks."

After that they were both quiet, not knowing what to say. Usually they just spoke about anything, made fun of some kid walking on the sidewalk, sometimes they listened to the radio and if there was a really good song they could even get so excited that they sung. But now, it was like silence had made a home in their car. Marth looked at his friend with a growing worry, the boy didn't even seem to be in this world. He was sad, he was empty.

The noble hoped that Roy would've been mad, extremely mad, that would've been better than seeing him so sad because he had seen that kind of rage before, but not that kind of sadness. And he couldn't respond to the boy, he couldn't comfort him without knowing what was wrong.

The rest of the trip was mostly quiet. At times Marth said something or asked Roy if he was seriously all right and without even a hint of irritability in his voice he had always responded: 'Yes, I'm fine.'

At home before disappearing into his room, the blue haired swordsman gave his friend a hug, telling him once more that if there was something wrong, Roy could always come and talk with him and he would never leak anything he would hear from him.

Roy had nodded and given him one of those smiles that scared him. It was so empty and so emotionless it was spooky. Like a dead man's mouth had stretched into a smile.

When alone, the general finally broke. He burst into tears in his room and buried his head into a pillow to avoid making any sound. He didn't want anyone to know that he was crying. It would only lead to the same question: 'What's wrong?' and he had no answer for it. He was so confused. He cried long and late. And fell asleep to see a dream of Link.

The elf was there, in the middle of a crimson room. He was lying on his back, propping himself up with his elbows. There was someone else in the room too, but it was too dark to see him. Roy moved a little closer, the other man noticed him coming closer and turned to face him. He was familiar, but Roy couldn't identify him.

Link whispered something and the man got close to him, sat next to him and took a hold of his hand. The general went a little closer, but somehow he felt like he hadn't moved at all, he was meant to watch this all like a movie.

Suddenly he realised who the other man was. It was Marth. He tried to say 'hi' and get his attention, but no words came out of his mouth.

Then Link sat up and put his arms around Marth. Suddenly Roy found himself very close to them, but still couldn't talk or move. He could just watch as they touched each others faces and spoke something tenderly to each other. Then they kissed.

They kissed slowly and deeply. With love.

His alarm clock woke him up from the dream and he noticed that he was breathing heavily as if something horrible had happened. And that was when he realised something. He seriously cared for Link more than as a friend. His heart had won the battle against his mind and no matter how much he tried to deny it, he couldn't. He _was _in love with Link. He had been ever since they had met the first time.

_In love. I am in love. With a man. _He thought. And he tried again and again to deny it, but it just wouldn't go away. It was the truth.

He stared at his hands with growing horror. It had taken a kiss between Link and Marth for him to realise it and now it was too late. But that wasn't what he was so horrified by. It was the fact that he actually loved a guy.

And worse, he was taking distance to Link by going out with Peach. He closed his eyes, this couldn't be happening. It was horrible. But he needed to let Link know about his feelings, one way or another. Someday.

Someway.

Maybe later.

---

"Good morning!" Marth greeted Roy cheerfully as he entered the kitchen.

"Morning", he answered, totally normal again. He had been able of erasing most of the pain during the night and the dream had helped him a little. It had made him realise what he was. A queer. A freak. But at least with Link. And he had almost accepted it.

The noble was dumbstruck for a moment, but then his mouth melted into a smile again. "I was worried about you last night. You seemed pained."

"I was just tired, I already told you." He answered, taking a carton of milk from the fridge to put some milk into his coffee.

"Sorry, I guess I was a little shaken by the experience and didn't think of what was obvious." The cobalt eyed man said gently.

"Yeah."

"Anyway, I have to go to work now, Captain Falcon asked me to come half an hour earlier today."

"He's pushing you around."

"I got used to it when I dated Peach." Marth said with a grin. "However, I'm going now. See you later?"

"I can't watch a movie with you tonight, I've got a date." Roy answered, it was a tradition for the two of them to watch a movie every Friday.

"Oh, too bad", The noble sounded a little disappointed. "Okay, see you!"

"Later!" He took another cup of coffee, letting his thoughts run freely. He had accepted being queer pretty easily after all. Maybe he was so much in love with Link that he had had to. That otherwise he would've gotten sick. He was familiar with that kind of phenomenon. If one tried to deny his feelings to hard and too long, he got sick. He couldn't remember the scientific name for it, but there was a disease like that.

At work Link was sitting behind his table as normal, browsing through a large pile of papers. As the boy opened the door with a smile, he gave him a happy smile as well.

"Hi, Roy, how are you?"

"I'm fine." He answered and sighed.

"Any new cases for us?" The elf asked.

"I haven't even checked yet. I better go right away." He turned around to leave, there was some kind of weird energy in him today.

"Wouldn't you give me a hug before you leave?" The elf looked at him under his eyebrows sweetly. He wanted to run to him and hug him tight and never let go, but he had Marth. Was he still pulling moves on him although he had the prince?

"No." He flashed him a smile, blushing and left before the elf had the time to stand up to come to him. Link frowned as the boy left; he had never acted like that before. He had never run away from him. Maybe he had realised something last night.

The day went by normally; both of them did lots of paperwork. It was boring and they didn't talk much. Link noticed though that Roy was more distant to him than what he had been. Whatever he said or suggested, Roy denied it every time. Something had happened that the elf knew, but he didn't know what it was.

---

"Oh, he's great!"

"Tell me more about him!"

"Well, he's got this wonderful red hair, big blue eyes, strong arms and he's so sweet!"

"You're really falling for him", Zelda laughed. "Has he been with anyone before you?"

"I don't know but he's so cute when he blushes!"

"Blushing guys are the cutest!" The Hylian princess giggled along with Peach. "I thought they were extinct!"

"Yeah, me too! But he's so cute! I wish we'd do something tonight!" The princess of Mushroom Kingdom fixed her make-up once again.

"If he's shy, he'll take you out at least ten times before he even asks to come for coffee." Zelda smiled at her best friend.

"Wish me luck!"

"I'm keeping my fingers and toes crossed!" The elf pushed her friend out of the door. "You better tell me all the details then!"

"Don't worry, you'll be the first one to know!" Peach left, almost jumping in joy and squealing.

---

She met Roy in front of a fancy restaurant, The Blue Swallow. He was dressed in a black suit, he looked totally different than what he normally did. Maybe it was only the black suit that made him look so different. He smiled shyly as she walked towards him, blushing a little.

"Hi", she said shyly.

"Hi, shall we go in?" The general asked, offering her his arm.

"Yeah." She grabbed his arm and let him guide her in to the beautiful restaurant. It was romantic in every way. The walls were a dark shade of controlled pink and candles were burning in every table. There was a pianist in one corner of the restaurant, playing beautifully.

"Oh, this is so _romantic_!" Peach said sweetly, holding Roy's hand.

"Yeah, I guess so." The boy said, somehow unenthusiastically.

"You're a typical guy", The princess giggled, trying to sound sweet but there was a hint of unsatisfactory in her voice.

The waitress came and they ordered their foods, Peach ordered red wine with her food, but the general decided to have only water. He didn't want to find himself in an interesting situation the following morning. He would need to tell Link. His feelings raged in his heart now and his mind had been smothered by them. Somewhere deep down it tried to scream at him how wrong it was to love a man, but his heart had won and he couldn't help it.

He just needed to accept it. And he would.

She dragged him dancing once as well and blabbed something about how romantic it was all the time and Roy wanted to yawn but held it back with the thought that she'd kill him if he wouldn't have a good time. Dancing there with her, he thought about Link.

Again.

He remembered how the elf had asked him to dance with him and he had refused. Why had he done it? He was sure he would've enjoyed it, feeling the one he loved near him. But he had still be blinded by his mind and rationality and he hadn't understood that he had been in love with the elf. And now Link had Marth.

Later on he drove Peach to her door and in the car she took his hand.

"Roy, I've had a wonderful evening." She said gently.

"Yeah, me too." The general answered absent-mindedly, looking at the clock.

"Would you like to come in and maybe have a drink or a beer?"

The redhead had hoped that she wouldn't have done that, asked him to come inside. He wanted to go home and dream about Link and plan how to tell him about his still unsure feelings.

"Oh, sure." Roy glanced at her and hoped that as she got out of the car a truck would come and squish her. Yes, it was a mean thought but he wanted to get rid of her. And saying 'no' to her was almost the same as suicide.

---

I truly hope Roy doesn't get drunk and do something he needs to regret…

Thanks for reading and review if you liked it!


	10. Sic Itur ad Astra Part 05 Jealousy Towar...

EPISODE 02: Sic Itur ad Astra Part 05 Jealousy Towards One Another

---

When Roy got home, despair hit him again like a wave. He had gone out with a girl and now she thought he loved her although he loved Link. And Link had Marth. Marth was so lucky. Also, the noble had never seemed to have any kinds of problems with himself, he accepted all kinds of things and adapted to everything easily. Roy wished that he could be a little like the prince as well, then realising his feelings wouldn't have taken so long.

He noticed that the cobalt eyed man wasn't at home and concluded that he had probably gone over to Link's house for the night and now the two of them cuddled there and kissed and touched like he and Link had just a few days before. It hurt, and he was jealous, but he was happy as well to know that at least they were happy now.

Roy shuffled to his room and threw himself on the bed, gazing to the ceiling. How would he tell Link? He couldn't just go to him and press the doorbell and say 'Hi, Link. I know you're with Marth, but I just have to let you know that I love you.' That wouldn't be great.

What if he just kissed him? That would be an almost good idea but there was one problem. Link was taller than him. He might end up jumping in front of the elf mindlessly and trying to kiss him. The mental images made him feel bad. Of course that might not happen, Link might also push him away or take him in his arms and hug him like always before. But then he would know in his heart that he had come between Marth and Link and if they broke up after it and Link came to him would make him guilty for breaking Marth's heart. Even if he got what _he _wanted.

He rolled on onto his side and sighed. Link wasn't the only person in the world he could love. He had loved before the elf had come to his life, why couldn't he love after it? What if the elf had somehow… somehow… managed to get to his closed heart so deep that he had left a mark for a lifetime?

There was nothing he could do if that had happened.

He turned around again, thinking about the elf who had made his thoughts and feelings stir. He was so kind and he had never tried to take advantage of him, not even when he had been drunk and actually begged for Link to make love to him.

Marth was indeed very lucky.

---

Link tossed and turned in his bed as well, thinking of the kiss. Was Marth trying to tell him something with it? The noble had called him earlier, but it… he didn't know…

_"Hi, Link."_

_"Hi, what's up?"_

_"Nothing much, __Roy__'s going out with some girl and I'm bored."_

_"What? __Roy__ has a girlfriend?" _That had been when his heart had skipped a beat. He had been shocked. Was the boy really straight like he had always claimed? But what about all the nights they had spent together, all the kisses they had shared? He couldn't understand. He would need to talk to Roy.

_"I don't know… He didn't seem too enthusiastic on the phone, but anyway, I--"_

_"What did he say? Who's the girl?"_

There had been a moment of silence, then the noble had let out a small laugh. _"You sound worried. You don't think he can't take care of himself?"_

_"Who's the girl?"_

_"He didn't say. He just told me that he'll come home late and not to wait for him."_

_"Oh…" _

_"Anyway, I was thinking maybe we could do something tonight?"_

_"I… I have to baby-sit Young Link. Maybe some other day, okay?" _He wanted to call Roy and talk with him, he couldn't believe that the boy was going out with some girl. And he knew that even if Marth came over he wouldn't have fun because he would be thinking about Roy and his _hot _date. That way Marth wouldn't have fun at all, he didn't want to do that to his friend. He wanted to be with Marth, especially now after the kiss and he wanted to know why it had been so filled with emotions. But now wasn't the right time.

Why had Roy so suddenly…? What if he had just wasted his time on the boy? It hurt. He had always thought that Roy was just too shy, but what if he had been straight the whole time? It couldn't be. He thought about the party where he and Roy had kissed for the very first time.

It had been a warm summer night, most of those in the party were so drunk they couldn't stand on their feet anymore and were lying on the ground mumbling something incoherent to the grass. He had been sitting on a brick wall in the back of the yard, where no one too drunk bothered him and he could keep looking at the boy he had already learned to love so much.

Roy had noticed him at some point and walked to him, a little unstable, but not too drunk. He had, without a word, sat next to him, as close as he could and smiled like he would've known that the elf had been looking at him the whole party.

"Hi." He had said a little shyly, still smiling.

"Hi, are you having a good time?" The elf had asked and Roy had laughed.

"Yeah, but I noticed you were alone." He had caressed his cheek gently. "You seemed so lonely." He had almost kissed him, but then suddenly retreated back.

"I'm not lonely as long as you're there."

"Then I'll be here the whole night."At that point, Link had been encouraged to kiss him gently on his lips and he had answered, wrapping his arms around him tight, not wanting to let go. After the kiss the elf had held Roy close and Roy had pressed closer. They had been like that for a while, quiet and just holding each other.

"Do you really think there's nothing wrong in loving a guy?"

"Yeah. Love is love after all and there's nothing you can do to prevent it."

"That sounds so reasonable." Roy had said. Then they had kissed again and again and again… But in the morning the general had seemed troubled by what he had done.

Could it really be that Roy was straight? Maybe he had just kissed him and let him kiss him because he hadn't wanted to break his heart. Or then he was bisexual, he liked both, women and men.

Link turned around. He didn't want to wait until Monday to hear about Roy's feelings; he needed to know them now. He sat up and reached for the phone. One final wave of uncertainty and he almost let it slide and went back to sleep but then he knew he wouldn't be able to sleep without knowing.

He dialled the number, sitting in the empty living room. He didn't want Roy to have some girl, he wanted to be his only love.

"What're you doing, up so late?" Young Link came out of his room in his boxers, probably going to the bathroom.

"I… Roy's got a girl." Link answered, holding the phone against his ear, listening to the dial sound and waiting for the redhead to pick up.

"WHAT?"

"Yeah. I'm trying to call him to ask if he's mine still."

"If he's got a girl he doesn't want you. He's _straight._" The boy shuffled to the bathroom. Link looked at his feet. It couldn't be that Roy was in love with a girl. What about them? _What about them? _

"Hello?" He heard the boy's voice, he didn't sound drowsy so he hadn't probably gone to sleep yet.

"Hi, Roy, it's Link."

"Oh, hi." There was slight surprise in his voice.

"I just… I just had to call you, Roy." He said softly. "…to remind you that I love you."

The general was quiet for a while, at times he sighed or took a deep breath to say something but always swallowed it. "Yeah."

Link looked at his feet his eyes wide. Usually the redhead would've answered 'I know' or 'Good' or something like that. But now it had been only a 'Yeah.' And that hurt too. It was proof he had someone.

_Or am I just overreacting? _"Roy, can we meet?"

"Now?" He asked.

"Yeah. I miss you."

Another long, long silence. Roy was obviously swallowing something back. "Link, I… Isn't Marth there?"

"No, why would he be?"

"…I need to go to sleep now."

"Roy, wait!"

"What?" He asked calmly. "I want to see you. I miss you and we couldn't be alone after that… what happened in Seventh Heaven…"

"Yeah…" Now he was obviously waiting for him to continue.

"I want you near, Roy."

The redhead felt relieved to hear Link saying those words, those sweet words, they were like the most beautiful music in his ears. He felt tears in his eyes, wanting to flow down his cheeks and he wanted to scream and cry and he couldn't understand why the elf was acting like this. He took a deep breath, swallowing the tears once again.

"Yeah." He couldn't come up with anything else to say. He didn't want to say anything that could've affected to Link's and Marth's relationship, because although he wanted Link all to himself, he didn't want to break Marth's heart.

"Can we meet now?"

"…I _have _to go to sleep."

"Please!" The elf was… begging? Was he_ begging_?

"Link…"The elf waited patiently. Maybe he could let his feelings show now a bit. Only a little.

"Fine. Are you coming over or am I?"

"I'm coming there, sorry to bother you so late."

"It's nothing. Really."

"I'll be there in five minutes."

"Okay. See you then."

"See you, love you." He closed the phone, smiling again. Roy wanted to see him and it was really late so he must at least have some kind of glowing embers towards him if not flaming love.

"Young Link?"

"Yeah?" The boy was in the kitchen, taking a glass of milk.

"I'm going to go over to see if Roy's all right."

"Fine, whatever." The boy put the carton of milk back to the fridge.

"See you."

"Yeah, later." Young Link said as he walked drowsily towards his room again.

---

Roy put the phone down and sighed. He would need to show Link that he cared, but so that it wouldn't affect his and Marth's relationship. He would need to slow Link down if he got excited and went too far.

Which brought the question to his mind: If Link was already with Marth, why would he pull moves on him? Was he already cheating on Marth? No, Link couldn't. Link was perfect. He wasn't able of cheating. But if they weren't together, what had the kiss been for? _WHY _had they kissed? _Why in front of him?_

He realised he wasn't wearing anything else except his boxers and ran to his room to get his clothes. He didn't want to encourage Link to kiss him by opening the door in almost nothing at all. Although the idea did make him feel nice… them kissing on the door… Link touching him…

He had thought that the idea, the mental image of that would've been much grosser, but he enjoyed it and he wanted it to be true. He sighed. Marth was the lucky guy. Not him.

The doorbell rang and he opened it, smiling at the elf, who hugged him tight before either one of them had had the chance of saying anything. At first Roy didn't know what to think about, then he remembered Marth and tried to push the elf away, but his protests were weak and Link wouldn't let go. Then he surrendered and hugged him back, hugged him like they were a couple who hadn't seen each other in ten years.

Still hugging him, Link sighed, his voice sounded relieved. Then he pressed him even closer and Roy answered by pulling him closer. The elf was in his arms now and he wanted to have him, wanted to have him so badly that he almost forgot that he was Marth's.

"Hi, Roy." The elf said finally and let go of him. He greeted him as well, feeling his face redden and asked if he'd like to have something to drink.

"Oh, sure, if you've got coke." Link smiled as he walked in and sat down on the couch. The general brought them both a coke and looked at the Hero in the eyes.

"Why did you want to see me?"

"Because I missed you." The Hylian answered softly, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Did you miss me?"

Roy looked away, he couldn't… he couldn't say it. What if Link loved Marth but not enough to love him after he had confessed his feelings? "I.."

Link put his coke on the table and pulled him close, making Roy rest his head on his chest. Then he ruffled his hair gently and caressed his side and he felt like a cat, he wanted to purr it all felt so good.

"I love you, Roy." The Hero whispered. The general felt like those words had been whispered so that they were meant to him and him only and no one else would ever hear them. He didn't know what got into him, he lifted his head up, realising that their faces were actually even closer than what he had thought. He looked at the Hylian's lips, desiring them.

_Marth! He's Marth's! Marth's! Marth's property! You'll regret this! Marth's!_

He was about to retreat when Link slipped his hand behind his neck and pressed his lips on his, sending a wave of pleasure and some weird, ticklish feeling down his spine. It all felt so good. He grabbed the elf's head and kissed him more deeply, getting closer to him. The elf held his head gently with his other hand and with the other he was pressing him close.

Then, as if someone had seen them kissing and wanted to interrupt it, the phone rang. It's normally casual

_ring__ ring_

sounded like scornful laughter. The general pulled away quickly, realising that he had actually kissed his best friend's boyfriend and if Marth ever got to know, he would probably kill him. He reached for the phone and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Roy!" It was Marth. Roy felt red rising on his face, what if the noble had somehow mentally seen them? _Stop being ridiculous._

"Marth, I--"

"Natasha's escaped from prison! Go over to Link's house or anywhere. Just don't stay at home."

"Oh…" The redhead sighed, he was _so _relieved to hear that. "I'll go there then. Thanks."

Then he hung up and turned to the elf, who leaned his head a bit like he had asked a question. "Marth called. He said Natasha's escaped from prison and that I'd need someplace to hide."

"Come over to my place." The elf offered kindly.

"Yeah, let's go quickly." He got up, but was stopped. Link grabbed his hand.

"Roy…"

"Yeah?"

"I just… I need you."

_I need you too. _Roy's subconscious said and he wanted to make himself say that, but Link was Marth's. For god's sake, Marth's. His best friend's boyfriend, not his. And the jealousy came to him once more.

"I know." he finally answered and pulled the elf after him out of their apartment.

The got into the elevator and didn't notice there was already someone there. Without hesitation Link pulled Roy close and pressed him against himself and the redhead tried not to smile, but couldn't help it. Without letting himself think at Marth, the general pressed close and wrapped his arms around the elf, who was slightly surprised. Something surely had happened to Roy, but what had it been?

Before he had a moment to think about it, that third person in the elevator hit the stop-button with her fist and turned her face towards them. She was holding a gun in her other hand, they both found themselves wondering where the hell she could've gotten it. Not from any hobo, that was for sure.

"Oh, hi, Natasha", Link greeted happily, obviously trying to hide his rising panic.

Roy pressed close to him as if for cover. "How? Why?"

"I told you I'd escape! I'd come and kill you!" She raged, pointing at him with the gun, narrowing her eyes. "I'll let you live, but I'll shoot you full of holes!"

"Why? Just when he realised his feelings?" The elf lied to her, but actually it was the truth and the redhead's eyes widened. He hoped he hadn't been that shallow.

"He… He realised them?" She stopped.

Before Roy could say anything, though he wasn't even planning to deny his feelings now when his whole life depended on them, Link pulled him close to a kiss. He answered it, wrapping his arms even tighter around the elf, hoping that they would be anywhere but there, in front of Natasha like puppets and if she wanted, she could command them to do anything.

She looked at them cautiously and they kept kissing each other, at some point Roy forgot they were in front of Natasha, but when they pulled away, he felt embarrassed. And at the same time he realised they had no way of calling for back-up or help because she was watching them and if they did one wrong move, she would shoot.

"Hand me the gun, Natasha." Roy said, sticking out his hand.

"Why? You got me into jail!" She remembered what she had come for. "I'll shoot you!" She pressed the gun against Roy's temple.

"Natasha, don't! You'll take my beloved away from me. I don't want to lose him now." The Hero looked into Roy's eyes gently and stroke his hair, a smile tugging at his lips. He knew. Oh, god, he _knew. _Or did he? It sure seemed like it.

"I want revenge!" She screamed, walking closer and pressing the gun on the redhead's neck. "I want to kill him for failing his promise to me and I will kill him!"

The redhead closed his eyes, knowing that any breath could be his last. At least he could spend his last moments in Link's arms.

"You failed your promise!" She raged. He pressed against Link even tighter, his breathing got faster, his heart beat in his chest hecticly, almost exploding. His eyes he kept tightly shut, he didn't want to see anything, he just wanted this all to be over, she could kill herself, she could kill him, just that this would stop. Because it scared him, he didn't want to die. He wanted to live now that he was in love. Then it hit him. What promise? He had never promised anything except that he would meet her.

"…W-what promise?" He said, his voice quivering.

"You promised to let me go!"

"…I only promised to meet you!" He tried to sound defiant, but failed miserably.

She took the gun off his temple and looked at him defiantly, how he pressed his head against his love's chest, holding onto him so tightly his knuckles were white, breathing fast.

"I wouldn't shoot you, baby." She said, suddenly her voice was soft. "It would stain his shirt." She nodded at Link. She had taken a liking to him. She _liked _him. Roy felt jealous again. It was ridiculous. Link was his best friend's boyfriend and he was feeling jealous when a girl seemed to like him.

"I don't mind", Link blurted out but then realised what he had said.

The general glared at him. "Yes, you do…" he said between his teeth, but then his voice softened and he said scornfully: "…Honey."

"I want to kill you", Natasha hissed, looking at her gun. "But then he'd be unhappy."

"I'd be broken." The elf said. And it was true. If someone killed Roy he wouldn't know what to do. "Natasha… Give me the gun." He said kindly.

Natasha flinched, thought, her eyes looked at both of them, scanning them. "I don't want to go to prison."

"I promise: You don't need to." Said the elf calmly.

"Scout's honour?" She asked like a little girl.

"Scout's honour. And may my little brat bite me if I fail this promise."

She smiled and pressed another button on the wall and the elevator began moving down again. "You have a child?"

"Well, kind of."

"He's not yours?"

"…It's a little complicated." Link looked a little troubled. Suddenly Natasha pointed at Roy with the gun again and fired. The elf pushed him against the wall, out of the way and grabbed Natasha's hand, bending it until the gun fell from her hands and she wailed. The redhead had hit his head hard against the elevator's wall, but realised that the gun had fallen from her hands and took it. He got on his feet, unstable, but pointed at her.

"Be a nice girl." He said slowly, handing the gun to Link. "I'll call the asylum. She'll be in a better care there."

"Okay." The elf held the gun at Natasha as the elevator doors opened and they all stepped out. Roy took his cell phone from his pocket and a little distance to them both. Then he called the mental hospital, they had promised not to take her to jail, but nothing had been said about an asylum.

As she left, she looked content. The redhead turned to the Hylian he loved so much and knew that he couldn't bring himself to tell him about his feelings, not until he broke up with Marth.

"I wonder where she got the gun and how she escaped…"

"I don't know how but maybe it was a part of her search for fame."

"Huh?" The redhead looked at his love, confused.

"Sic Itur ad Astra."

"What are you talking about?"

"This is the way to the stars. That's what she repeated when I escorted her to the van. And ironic too, she's going to be famous. There was an article of her in today's paper, and I bet there will be one tomorrow as well. Who knows how many times she'll escape in her thirst for fame?"

The elf watched as the car disappeared out of view and then came to the redhead, who began to blush. "My love…" He called gently, embracing him. The boy turned his head away just like normal and Link pressed him closer, enjoying him there. He tried to kiss the general, who suddenly pushed him away.

He knew he had never done that before. He had never _ever _rejected him. But now... He had pushed him away as if he would've been harassing him like some old pervert in the park, jumped out of the bushes and flashed to young girls who got traumas for a lifetime. Who wouldn't? But he wasn't a pervert. He had never thought Roy would push him away. He thought they were in _love. _

"What's wrong?" He asked gently, trying to hide his surprise.

Roy looked at him, disappointed. "Why would you kiss me?"

"Huh?" The Hero couldn't help his surprise. "What do you mean?"

"Why do you play with me? Are you testing our friendship?" The boy turned his back to him, obviously swallowing tears.

"Roy, what are you talking about?"

"You _know _what I mean! GO KISS MARTH!"

"Roy!" The elf grasped the general's shoulders.

"HE's… He's… He's…" Roy sniffled, breaking, his defences were starting to fall, one by one.

"Roy… Why would I want Marth when I can get you?"

"You… You kissed him…" The boy looked at him angrily. "I'm sure he's much more fun to be with! And besides, I've got a girlfriend!" The elf pressed the boy against him gently, trying to comfort him. Roy tried to push him away for a while, but calmed down then, breathing unevenly, holding back his tears.

"Roy… Can you listen to me?"

"What good would it do? I've got a girlfirend, you've got Marth, go have fun with him." The redhead answered scornfully, pushing him away and going back inside.

"Roy, stop that." Link scolded. "Listen to me." But the door had gone shut to Roy's building and he could watch the boy get to the elevator and disappear through the thin glass.

_How do you always slip between my fingers?_

---

It was _so _close. Just those three words. I am so evil.

Thanks for reading, your thoughts mean a lot to me!


	11. Uhambe Kahle Part 01 Acid, Anyone?

EPISODE 03: Uhambe Kahle Part 01 Acid, Anyone?

---

"Link." The general rushed to the office, where the elf was changing the bulb. He hadn't even bothered to knock.

"What is it?" The Hero asked worriedly, jumping down from the chair, looking down at Roy.

"Doesn't Young Link go to Sir Richard's Elementary School?"

"Yeah", the elf said simply. When he noticed the redhead's expression darken, he knew something had happened. "What's wrong?"

Roy looked at him for a while, maybe wondering how to put it before saying: "Our next case: It seems like some terrorist group has used a bioweapon in there. No one survived." The general looked at him sadly, seeing how his eyes watered, how he wasn't able of thinking or saying anything, only staring in front of him.

"I'm sorry." The boy said, putting a hand on his shoulder.

Link looked at him for a while before he grabbed his hand and pulled him near, embracing him in a warm, caring hug. The general felt those familiar arms around him and part of him was sad with Link, but he was so happy to be hugged by the elf. He gently pressed him closer, wanting to comfort him. It was obvious that the elf hugged him in search of someone who could lend him a shoulder and listen to him.

_That someone would probably be Marth, don't you think? _Roy's subconscious reminded him of the kiss maliciously and he felt a dagger of jealousy in his heart. But he also felt sad and angry and strangely… happy. Sad because he had enjoyed Link pulling moves on him in some way… Angry because it had always seemed that the elf loved him, not Marth. Happy… happy he felt only because the two of them were happy together and he wanted happiness to them both.

He felt how Link pressed him even closer, breathing to his neck unevenly, trying to avoid crying. He held him closer, rubbing his back a little as a friend. If he couldn't be the one Link loved anymore he could at least be a friend in need. Because isn't a friend in need a friend indeed? Could be a lover too.

"Don't you think Young Link could've skipped school?" Roy asked, the thought had come to him as fast as lighting from the sky.

"He… he could have." Link sighed. "I'd like to see the list of the deceased."

"Yeah, let's go." The redhead let go of the Hero, but Link pressed him close once more before letting him go. "Oh god, Roy, I've never been this scared."

"Let's go quickly." The redhead smiled encouragingly and grabbed his hand, leading him to the corridor quickly. Link frowned a little, Roy had never before voluntarily touched him and now he was holding his hand, guiding him. Maybe he was finally starting to realise his feelings and was trying to show them to him with the smallest of gestures.

As the officer gave the list to Link, he felt fear grabbing his heart with long claws and clenching its fist into a ball, squeezing his heart with fear and panic. He tried to push the emotion away, tried to think with his mind, tried not to let his heart have control now when he needed to be calm. He saw from the corner of his eye that Roy was looking at him with a worriedly furrowed brow as if he was ready to run to him and catch him if he collapsed or broke or went nuts.

_Swing low, sweet chariot _

_coming__ for to carry me home_

_Swing low, sweet chariot_

_coming__ for to carry me home. _

He remembered the song he had once heard in a church, in his friend's funeral that had died on duty. It had been his ex-partner, the one he had worked with before Roy. He had given his life for him, jumping in front of a bullet. Link had blamed himself for the accident for a while, but forgotten it by time with the general's help. And there it was again, the fresh memory of the church, the glass windows strained the morning light in all the colours of the rainbow to the floor and the benches of the church, creating an eerie yet calming atmosphere. In the air were the scent of old oak benches, lacquered not long ago.

He had seen the coffin, but hadn't wanted to see his partner's face. He had seen his face alive and that was enough, he didn't want to have a memory of his dead face, no matter how calm and peaceful he looked like. He was still _dead. _Dead as a stone. His blue eyes didn't flicker open; his serious expression would never again melt into a smile.

Link read the list of the deceased with chills running up and down his spine. He didn't want to find Young Link's name in that list. If he did, he wasn't sure what he would do. Gladly Roy was there, leaning against the door and waiting for him to say something, do something, probably tensed up wanting him to do anything at all.

He didn't want to lose anyone else close to him again. His former partner and him had been pretty close, but still, they had been only friends. Serge had never even known that he was gay, he had never felt the need to tell him about it. But Roy… Roy was different. Roy was…

He was…

He was _straight. Just like Serge. _

Link finished reading the list and began all over again, he wanted to be sure. At the same time he wondered why and how he could've forgotten Serge? He had been his best friend ever. They had had some real quality time. How he could've forgotten him? He would need to visit his grave some day, get him flowers. Maybe it didn't even matter, he was dead and he didn't care about flowers in the afterlife, but what if he could somehow watch over him? He would be disappointed.

_Today.__ Visit the grave. _

First this. He had succeeded in closing the horrible thought of Young Link dead out of his mind, but it had brought up memories of Serge. And now he was starting to feel relieved. He had read the list twice and hadn't found Young Link's name on it. The elf sighed in relief.

"God, I love that school-skipping bastard!"

Roy laughed heartily, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I'm glad he's all right."

"I'm glad too. But now…" The Hero turned to face him. "I need some attention from you." Link tried to kiss the redhead, who turned his head away as normal, just unlike normal, Roy pushed him away strongly like once before. The Hylian remembered what they had spoken during weekend, but now wasn't the right time to discuss about it. He needed a quiet place, maybe ask Roy to come over and then they could talk and he would make it really sure he wasn't in love with Marth. Roy was being friendly, more than that, but at the same time their romance was icy cold and yet it was only starting to bloom if the general seriously understood his feelings.

"Let's go over to Sir Richard's. I want to find out more about this." The elf said, already leaving.

---

They arrived to the school, seeing lots of officers carrying the bodies away, the whole building was surrounded with a police line. There were people watching polices' work, some were crying and others were comforting them. A few officers had to be there, holding the people back.

As they got in, they faced with empty white corridors and in the air, death seemed to disturb the air and strangely they felt that the souls of the little children lingered in the air, sad that they'd had to leave the world so early in their lives.

Roy found a doctor and they introduced each other, the doctor's name was Kayla. They exchanged too fancy medical terms for Link, so he left to find out someone who knew a little what had happened.

Roy looked after him for a while before saying: "What is this bio weapon, do you have any idea?"

"This is, as far as I can say, not airborne. The poison must be in something they all touched." She said. She was a coloured woman, she had long beautiful hair, the curls flowed down her back like uneven waves. Her eyes were large and black, very kind but at the moment they were troubled.

"What could it be?" The general asked, trying to conclude it at the same time.

"I'm thinking about the dining hall. Maybe the terrorist or whoever did this put the substance on the plates or easier; on the tables."

"But that would mean that none of them consumed the bio weapon. Is it some kind of an acid?"

"Yes. It's a very strong acid, it seems like everyone has just… burned. They all had third degree burns on them, but it seems like it isn't the cause of death." Kayla said thoughtfully. "To me it seems like they all suffocated to death, which implicates swelling in their throats as if they had suffered an asthmatic seizure."

"But they can't all have asthma, right?" The general asked.

"No, that's what's interesting. I'm sending blood and DNA samples to be analyzed, but the results will take a few hours to come."

"Thank you, Kayla. Can you tell me is there anyone who'd have some kind of an idea about this terrorist?"

"It's up to violent crimes, I think. They know all about terrorists who could be insane enough to do something like this."

Roy knew that he'd need to find Marth and Captain Falcon from the school somewhere. They were both on violent crimes and worked as partners. He thought that maybe Link was with his sweetheart as well.

"I think this is the work of a terrorist group called Uhambe Kahle." Marth said to the elf. Roy had been right, they were together. Somehow Link felt so easy with the prince, he could say or do anything and the noble's face wouldn't even stir.

"What kind of are they? Could they have gotten access to this kind of… poison or something?"

"To them, anything's possible." The blue haired man said, shaking his head sadly a little. "I think you once told me Young Link goes to this school, right?"

"Yeah, but obviously he's skipped school today again." He grinned, a little ashamed.

"Thank god he has. I wouldn't want to see you sad." The noble said kindly, placing his hands on his shoulders. Creating an eye contact between them, he smiled comfortingly.

"I'm happy to hear that." The elf sighed. "I was going crazy when I read the list of the deceased."

"Would you like to relax? I could take you somewhere today…" Marth said kindly, leaning his head.

"Okay, sure." He said, feeling that he owed it for the Prince because he had rejected his offer once before, he couldn't do it again. And besides, he really enjoyed Marth's company.

Most important, with Marth he could let go of Roy.

If the boy was straight.

---

The general found the elf and the noble later on; he had stopped by the officers carrying the bodies away and quickly examined some of the bodies, looking sad and angry. He couldn't understand why and _how _could anyone do this to children? It would've been forgivable if the acid had been used on adults, but an elementary school. It was sick.

No, it wasn't just sick, it was crazy.

He looked at the body of a maybe seven years old girl, covered in third degree or worse burns, only small ribbons remained by her head. They had probably been in her hair. Roy took them in his hand and looked at them, feeling horrible anger towards the ones who had done this.

"I wish this wouldn't be our case."

"I wish I could get my hands on the asshole who did this." The general turned to his love, showing him the ribbons. "They were only children. _Only children_." His voice trembled with anger.

"I know. Terrorists aren't sane. They're ready to do anything to get what they want." The elf walked slowly to Roy, looking at him sadly.

"What should we do?"

"You have a medical training, don't you?" The Hylian leaned against the wall, looking at the body of the small girl with pain in his eyes. He really could understand that that girl's body could've been Young Link. It had been all because of the boy's dislike of school that he had survived. He sighed, relieved.

"Yeah, and?"

"You'll be working with the medical team and staying in contact with me", the elf drew breath. "While I'll try to get the terrorist leader to meet me."

"You're not serious." The general answered, frowning. "You're putting me into a lab with a white coat and thick glasses while you go off having fun?"

The Hylian was speechless for a moment. 'Having fun' wasn't how he would've described infiltrating into a terrorist group. "You want to come with me?"

"Of course." The redhead answered, leaving him dumbstruck. Roy had never been so… so honest. Normally he would've… he wouldn't have been so easy with it. But he didn't want to think about it now, he had something else to think about.

Marth.

No, not Marth.

The noble had started to visit his thoughts more and more often. Not only because of the kiss, but because he was asking if they could do something together pretty often. And he wanted to think about him too.

"Link and Roy?" It was Captain Falcon. "I hear ya'll be going to infiltrate to da terrorist group."

"Yeah." The elf answered.

"I got some news from da boss."

"What news?" The redhead turned to him, leaning his head a little.

"Ya won't infiltrate. That's too dangerous. Ya'll try to find clues."

"Okay." The elf felt relief. He had been a little afraid would he need to cancel meeting Marth again, he didn't want to do that.

"On a second thought", the general said, smiling, as Captain Falcon had left. "I guess I'll take the lab coat and thick glasses."

"Whatever, my love." The elf answered, ruffling his hair and looking at him gently when he laughed. "I'll see you later?"

"Yeah, sure." Roy began walking towards the doctors, trying to find out what lab they would use in this investigation. He felt somewhere inside that he had just made a horrible mistake, but couldn't understand why. It had been the same kind of feeling that when he had dropped the coffee mug and right after he had cleaned the last drops from the floor the phone had rang and Young Link had told him Link was in trouble.

But this wasn't anything like that. This was just another day at work, just as normal. He and Link just wouldn't see so often. Was that the big mistake? He doubted it. He had all the days in the year to look at Link and be with him, how could one case mess up everything?

---

Sorry, it's a bit messy again, but so many things start to happen in this episode…

Thank you for reading! Review if you want to.


	12. Uhambe Kahle Part 02 a plus b is Heureka

EPISODE 3: Uhambe Kahle Part 02 a b Heureka!

---

The elf walked out of the building, seeing Marth with Captain Falcon, looking fed up with him. When he saw him, he excused himself and walked to him, smiling.

"Where ya off to?" He asked and shook his head, chuckling. "Sorry, confound that. I'm starting to speak like him."

Link laughed shortly. "I'm going to interview some people living near the school and ask them have they seen anyone suspicious enter the building. Want to come with me?"

"Sure, if you can stand my new accent." They both laughed.

"But first… I need to call that school-skipper." The elf said, taking his cell phone and dialling home. The small elf answered and gasped as he introduced himself.

"Link, I can explain!" He started to fake coughing. After he had done his act and sniffled a few times in the end, trying to sound sick, the older elf began laughing.

"I just called to say how happy I am to know you skipped school!"

There was a moment of confused silence. "I can do that again if you want me to."

"No, stump, you haven't heard the news?" Link became serious again.

"What news?" The boy sounded curious.

"Your elementary school's been attacked by terrorists. Everyone died."

"Everyone?" Young Link asked worriedly. Then his voice began quivering. "Everyone? Ness? Nana? Popo?"

"Everyone." The Hylian said sadly, shaking his head and looking at Marth who furrowed his brow, still trying to smile encouragingly. "Will you be okay there or do you want me to come home?"

The noble stopped him. "I've got only paperwork to do today and I can leave it to Captain. I can go to him."

"Marth!" The little elf said almost happily. "Marth come here quickly!"

Link smiled at his friend and told Young Link the noble would be there soon, ending the call. "Thanks. It really means a lot to me."

"Hey, what I wouldn't do for you?" The prince asked gently.

"Thank you." The Hylian smiled, feeling really grateful. It was very kind of Marth to go over to his place and comfort Young Link. He left, thinking about the cobalt eyed man once again.

_What happened to your thoughts about __Roy_His subconscious asked. And he didn't know the answer. He had just stopped thinking about Roy so much. Maybe his heart was blocking the boy from his mind now that he had a girl. If he would think about Roy all the time, he would fall into despair.

Yeah, that was probably it.

He started towards the apartment buildings near the school, dismissing all thoughts of Marth and Roy.

---

The general had been told that it hadn't been any kind of acid, but bacteria that had killed those little children and he was looking at them through a microscope. The bastards swam happily around, probably getting ready to divide and multiply, create more, create more; they didn't care how many children they killed, they only cared about what every living thing cares about: surviving. That's what it's all about, isn't it?

_No, that's not, life's many things. _Roy thought, trying to deduce what kind of bacteria they were.

But it all comes down to surviving. No matter how much you love, how much you do charity, how much you kick old women walking in the park with their grand children, it doesn't keep you alive.

_Link wouldn't agree with that. _He thought, narrowing his eyes a little.

It was true that Link wouldn't agree, to the elf love meant life. If you were in love you didn't need anything but the one you loved near you. Everything else would be secondary, needed, but not in his mind.

Roy knew he missed that. He wanted to feel Link close as before, he wanted the elf to flirt with him in his cheerful and maybe a little naughty way as well, he wanted to _have _the elf.

But, _shit happens_.

Link was Marth's.

And maybe, in some way that was the way it ought to be. Marth and Link were more alike than the two of them, or maybe he thought that way only because the prince adapted to everything so easily. Roy knew that he would need time although he had already accepted being queer, no matter how much he wanted to deny it, to adapt to a boyfriend. He couldn't just kiss a guy and cuddle with him because he was gay, it still hurt him and although he liked it, he hated himself for even wanting to think about something like that.

"Roy!"

"Yeah?" He turned around, shaking off the thoughts.

"Have you found anything?" Kayla asked, holding a folder in her hands and checking something from it at the same time.

"Are you familiar with the epiglottitis?" The general asked a little warily. He wasn't sure, it had been a while, but this sure looked like it.

"Yes, but after the Hib-vaccination was invented the disease has almost disappeared."

"I know. Would you take a look at this?" He offered his seat to her and she looked at the bacteria.

"I… I can't believe it. It sure looks like haemophilus influenzae."

"And it advances fast; the victim's throat swells and it blocks the breathing if not treated in less than two hours."

Kayla looked even more troubled. "They could've been saved if we had been notified earlier." She said slowly, more to herself than to the general standing next to her. Roy hung his head; a moment of silence passed until Kayla lifted her gaze and looked at him. "Have you heard about the acid?"

"No, what was it?"

"_Aqua Regia_." Kayla answered solemnly. "The only acid that can etch even gold."

"But they can't have put it on the plates; it would've etched them as well!" Roy argued. And it was true, if Aqua Regia could etch gold what would stop it from etching cheap plastic plates?

"I don't know how they've managed to do this. Maybe they infiltrated to the school and somehow managed to… The bacteria!"

"Huh?" Roy took a step back. She looked like Archimedes who had just discovered the Law of Hydrostatics and shouted _'Heureka!'_

"What if the bacteria affected the Aqua Regia and prevented it from etching the plates, but somehow a warm human body triggered them both!"

"It could be, but I highly doubt that. Aqua Regia can etch even gold, why not bacteria?" The redhead didn't want to argue with a real scientist, but he needed to point this out.

"Because bacteria can survive in extremely high temperatures, some bacteria can still live after a heat of 2807 degrees Celsius."

"The boiling point of gold…" Roy said, not understanding it still. How did gold's boiling point associate in this?

"And if some bacteria can stay alive in that heat, they can also survive from Aqua Regia!" Kayla said victoriously.

"That would explain why they didn't use only Aqua Regia. It could've done the trick on its own." The general answered.

"Yes." She said, still amazed by her finding.

"So what we need is to find out where they got Aqua Regia or hydrochloric acid and nitric acid. Also, how did they get access to the school to put the bacteria and the acid on the plates?"

"That's none of my business. It's up to you." She smiled at him, putting her glasses on.

"I wish it _was _my business. But it isn't." He said, smiling back at her.

"Aren't you a crime scene investigator?"

"No, but my partner is. And he's off chasing clues right now so I guess I'm really on my own." He shrugged.

"Could you do me a favour?" Kayla asked, taking her files from the table where she had put them as she had sat down to look at the bacteria with the microscope.

"Oh, sure." He took off his coat and walked towards the doors leading out of the lab with her.

"If you find out anything… Can you tell me? My sister's… My sister's son went to that school and I'd like to let her know what's going on."

"Sure. You've been a great help so that's the least I can do." The general assured. He opened the door and left, leaving Kayla standing at the door and looking after him, holding the folder in her hands, pressing it tightly against her chest. She must have been close with her nephew.

He sighed as he got into the elevator to go lower to where Link's office was. He'd need the computer now, although they knew that it had been the terrorist group Uhambe Kahle, they still needed every bit of info that was available and profiles too. Roy bit his lower lip, he would need to keep his personal thoughts inside, how much he hated people who hurt children and who had almost killed his

_lover's_

friend's younger self. He would need to remain cool and if he would start feeling anger, he would calmly stop writing and collect himself before continuing. He could do it. If he thought about Link.

Maybe the elf was thinking about him too right now. Maybe he was planning to tell Marth he didn't love him and that he wanted to have _Roy_, he loved _Roy_ with all his heart and body and… whatever extra stuff elves had.

His phone rang in his pocket and he got it and realised who was calling. He sighed heavily, hoping that someone would cut his arm off right now or something would hit her or anything! Even a small alien with lots of radiation would do the trick. Of course those lucky bastards didn't exist.

"Hi." He answered, trying to sound casual.

"Hello, sweetie-honey!" The voice he had already learned to hate so much.

"Look, Peach." He said before the princess got started. "Don't call me at work; I'm too busy to talk."

"Are you telling me you dump me?" Her voice sounded irritated all of a sudden.

"I might." Roy answered simply. He was getting tired of her and didn't care about would he get a beating or not. He was in _love _with Link and there was no denying of it. He needed to tell the elf his feelings and Peach was just standing in the way, but mountains could be blown up in the air and no matter what she would do, she would need to cede in the end.

"What? Don't you know that when you talk to a woman you have to be discreet? You're hurting my feelings!" She screamed at him, obviously on the verge of tears.

"Peach, do you want to know something?" He said mischievously as he sat in the computer chair and started the computer. "I _couldn't care less_."

She burst to tears, wailing and screaming something indistinct. He held the phone a few inches from his ear, still hearing her completely well. He tried to say 'good bye' a few times, but she wouldn't listen so he hung up. If she wanted to talk, she could come over and he would take her for a walk and try not to strangle her. He chuckled a little. By strangling her he would do a favour for all men out there.

But now he had at least lighted the explosives, it would still take a while until the mountain would blow up and give way to him.

He nodded confidently.

Everything would be all right.

---

Marth watched the young elf eat, but he wasn't eating with the normal enthusiasm of a boy his age, it was understandable though, he had just lost all of his friends and teachers. That whole other world in his life, the school, was now gone.

He brushed the poor boy's bangs out of his view and tried to cheer him up with a smile. There weren't words that could comfort him now; they would all just sound empty and meaningless. Young Link just needed someone there, watching over him and keeping him company.

Link arrived at around four in the afternoon, he gave Marth a grateful smile right when he entered and the prince smiled back like he had just gotten something he had always wanted. The elf found it a little confusing, but dismissed the thought.

"How are you feeling, youngin?" He asked worriedly.

"I'm feeling all right." The small boy answered, trying to smile. "Just a little tired."

"Maybe you should try to take a little nap. I'll need to talk with Marth. Have you eaten?"

"Yeah, a while ago." The boy answered and shuffled to his room.

"By the way, stump. I'll need to go to the graveyard today, so I'll be gone for a while later on, okay?"

"Okay…" Young Link answered as he closed his room's door.

"Thanks for looking after him, it's been a great help to me." He said, taking a coke from the fridge. "Want something to drink?"

"No, thanks. And besides I did this gladly." The prince answered, still smiling. "I'm sorry, but you said you were going to visit the graveyard today… May I ask why?"

"Marth, don't be so polite with me." He remarked jokingly and walked to the couch, sitting next to the noble, looking at him kindly.

"Okay. So tell me why or I'll beat it out of you!" The prince joked with a mischievous grin and slipped a hand behind his neck, pulling his face close and pressing their noses together. Although a little surprised, Link wouldn't let it show, he just smiled back. The situation brought Roy to his mind, but he pushed the thoughts away, he didn't want to think about the redhead now.

"I have to visit a grave." He answered jokingly, pointing out the obvious.

"That's unusual." Marth acted surprise and furrowed his brow. "I thought graveyards were strictly only for rave parties."

They both laughed. The cobalt eyed man was still holding him close and he liked it, he put his hand on the prince's shoulder and his smile disappeared for a moment. But Marth didn't even seem to notice, he just looked deep into his cerulean eyes. And Link felt the need to kiss him.

And then he slapped himself mentally. What was he thinking about? Sure, Marth would help him get over Roy, but it didn't mean that he needed to sleep with him or worse, _fall in love _with him. Yet he did want to.

"My former partner… he died saving my life and I haven't paid him a visit in a long time."

"Do you want company?"

"Well, sure." He answered, not really knowing would he want to be alone. At the moment he wanted to be with Marth, close to him like this, although it felt so weird, friends didn't hold each other close like this. And they weren't even holding each other, for _god's sake. _They were just holding their noses together; maybe both waiting for a kiss to break the situation, but neither one had the courage to actually do it.

"Shall we go?" The prince finally asked, but for a passing second Link saw hesitation in his eyes. He didn't want the moment to end either.

"Not yet." He shook his head and laughed nervously. Marth smiled at him mischievously, his eyes sparkling in a weird, cheerful way. Then they both closed their eyes and their lips touched, only slightly, but enough to send the feeling roaring into their spines.

"Let's go." The elf said a little nervously after the kiss, unable to smother the smile tugging his lips.

"Already?" Marth stroke his chin with his finger seductively towards himself with a mischievous smile.

Link thought for a while. "I promised… that I'd go today. I'd like to keep that promise."

"I understand." The prince got up, taking a hold of his hand. He pulled him on his feet and to the small vestibule. Link felt somehow a little kinky because in the morning Roy had held his hand and guided him just like this and now Marth was doing the exact same thing. Now that he thought about it, he secretly wondered somewhere deep in his brain which he liked more. And he wanted it to be Marth, he wanted to fall in love with him, but the answer was obvious.

Nothing could ever replace Roy.

_Nothing. _

But he could always hope and he could always try.

---

Okay. How many of you knew all of this scientific stuff? If you did you're at least as smart as me if not a whole lot smarter! And also, did someone notice the Hokey Pokey-reference?

Thanks for reading, reviews are always welcome!


	13. Uhambe Kahle Part 03 Apocalypse and Zomb...

EPISODE 03: Uhambe Kahle Part 03 Apocalypse and Zombie-Wombies; Shit Happens!

---

The graveyard was empty as they arrived, the gravel rustled under their steps. The trees hung their branches low as if to prevent the purplish red evening light to get to the graveyard. Birds didn't sing, they were all quiet, respecting the memories of the dead and letting them rest in peace.

"Here." The elf stopped at a gravestone that read 'Here lies our beloved Serge. What came from the sea, has returned to the sea' Link dropped the bunch of flowers he had got, a gesture that didn't mean anything to him and probably even less for Serge, but at least it was proof that he had been there, visiting his old friend.

Marth put gently an arm around him, looking at Serge's grave with a stranger's respect. He pressed closer to the prince, not really knowing why.

"He's lucky to have had a friend like you." The noble said finally, breaking the silence in the graveyard.

Link sighed. "No, he isn't. I forgot him."

"But you remembered again. And that's what matters."

"Are you just trying to make me feel better?" He asked, turning to look at Marth.

"No, I think that's the truth." The prince hugged him from behind, resting his head on his shoulder and gazing at Serge's tomb. Link leaned against him, closing his eyes.

"I'm lucky to have someone like you." He almost whispered, his voice sounded so confident and happy.

"I'm luckier because there are _two_ of you." Marth whispered back to his ear, breathing one hot, wet breath on his neck and he let out a pleased moan. He took the noble's hands off him and turned around to hug him.

"Marth… Can I ask you one thing?" The Hylian asked, pressing close to feel the other's warm body against his.

"Sure." The prince smiled at him gently. "Go ahead."

"When you kissed me at the bar, did you mean it as a confession of your feelings?"

Marth looked at him for a long while, studied the blueness of his eyes, how they glowed in the darkening night, caressing his chin with his fingers. Link wouldn't let his gaze drop; he kept looking into his eyes determinedly and maybe a little defiantly. The prince pressed him closer and almost kissed before whispering: "Link, how could I--"

"IT'S THE APOCALYPSE!" An old man with a long beard jumped out of the bush, wearing rags. "IT'S THE APOCALYPSE!" He ran to them and took a hold of Link's throat, shaking him.

After a moment of utter confusion, Marth pulled him off the Hylian. It had all happened so quickly that he felt still a little confused.

"What's the apocalypse?" The elf drew breath and coughed, glaring at the man. "And why'd you strangle me for it?"

"IT'S THE APOCALYPSE! IT'S HERE!"

"You don't need to shout." Marth calmed him and walked him to a bench, forcing him to sit down. Then he returned to Link and asked him if he was all right and checked his throat.

"I guess I'm fine. I'm still alive." He said as Marth looked at his neck and at the small bruises on it. Suddenly he felt Marth's warm lips on his neck and pressed closer to him, sighing in pleasure. The noble kissed his neck for a brief moment only and looked into his eyes then, smiling. "Better?"

"By worlds." He caressed Marth's cheek with his fingers.

"What are we going to do with him?" The cobalt eyed prince nodded at the loon.

"No idea. Maybe just try to tell him there's nothing wrong with apocalypse." Link grinned. "That he should take it easy and buy a hot dog."

"A hot dog?"

"Yeah. He might actually do it." The Hylian giggled.

"IT'S THE APOCALYPSE!" The loon screamed alone, sitting on the bench.

"There isn't such a thing as the apocalypse." Marth took Link's hand and pulled him closer to the bench with him. The old loon glared at them as if they had denied the existence of gravity, his greyish blue eyes shining defiantly.

"Yes, _there is!_"

"I can't see it." Link ascertained simply, looking around lazily. "No Godzilla, King Kong or T-virus around here."

"But _it is here! _There are signs everywhere!" The man tried to stand up, but the noble stopped him and forced him to sit down again.

"Signs? What signs?"

"The whole world's gone crazy! _Everything's contrary to what it used to be!_"

"Gee, you don't need to be so specific." Link sighed. He knew that Marth wanted to help people, it was in his nature and no matter how crazy, eh would still do his best to help him, but this guy, he had nothing to worry about. He was just crazy. No one was chasing him and he looked poor so that no one would bother mugging him. Link wanted to go home, Young Link was there all alone and probably needed company, poor boy.

"Give us an example." Marth asked, rising his eyebrows.

"You didn't notice? It's worse than what I thought!" The old loon kept talking.

"Come on, Marth, let's go. He's just crazy." Link said finally, he liked to help people, but this loon didn't need their help, he needed an asylum.

"I am not!"

"Then what's the sign of the apocalypse?" The elf asked, able of being kind. Suddenly he thought about Roy. In a situation like this the general would've already flared up at that man for disturbing their moment. And besides, because of that man he hadn't heard Marth's answer.

"You almost kissed!" The man cried. He took a hold of the prince's shoulders, shaking him back and forth.

"All right, all right." The cobalt eyed man tore him off himself and got further away from him. "I think you're right, Link. Let's go home."

"You're not seeing the apocalypse coming!" He screamed after them.

They glanced at each other, knowing that this guy was a loon. "I bet he's never heard of gays before." Link said, slipping an arm around Marth, getting closer to him to feel his warmth near. The noble put an arm around him although he had expected him to blush slightly and get a little distance to him. But Marth, once again, wasn't Roy.

And secretly he wondered where Roy was at the moment.

Marth wanted to go home, but he insisted that he would stay overnight; he didn't want to be alone with Young Link right now. He knew he was supposed to comfort him but there was pain in his heart as well and he didn't know how long he would be able of hiding what he truly felt.

When they got home, Young Link was sleeping in his room calmly, he hadn't even cared to take off his clothes, he had just thrown himself on the bed and fallen asleep. His chest went up and down calmly as he breathed and slept peacefully. Or at least he looked peaceful.

Marth and Link sat on the couch, talking until late night and at times they kissed, but every time only casually. Only their lips touched, nothing too passionate. Nothing like the kiss in the bar.

"We should go to sleep." Link said finally, he was almost sitting in Marth's lap, their lips close enough to feel each other's breathing on them.

"Where will I sleep?" The noble asked and he pressed his nose against his.

"Next to me, of course." Link said calmly like he would've been talking about the weather. Marth smiled at him and they kissed, but the elf couldn't shake off a feeling in his heart, a feeling besides this love he felt for the noble. It was the feeling of drifting further and further away from Roy, the only true love he had. But he ignored it because Roy had a girlfriend and he was happy and he needed to get over him.

"Oh, really?" The prince asked, a little confused. He hadn't expected that.

"Only if you want to." Link continued, he had lowered his voice to a whisper with a mischievous smile. "I'm not going to force you."

"Sure, I just… I'm just a little surprised."

"Of wh--" The elf was cut off by the doorbell and he got up, walking to the door. Somehow, the whole way to the door he had a feeling he shouldn't open it, that something bad would happen if he did, but he thought that he was just being ridiculous and tired, full of the old loon's crap they had met in the graveyard

"Oh, hi!" He was totally taken by surprise as he opened the door.

"Hi, can I come in?" Roy asked, he was soaking wet and cold, he was shaking a little and his lips were purple.

"Of course, what brings you?"

"I just came to tell you that I--" The general began and grabbed his shoulders, but stopped when he saw Marth. "Hi, Marth." For a while he was trying to say something to Link but swallowed it every time. The elf waited patiently, he was hoping to hear those three words, it was obvious Roy was trying to say them, he was trying to force them out of his mouth, but couldn't. It seemed like he was suffocating in some weird way. Finally he hung his head, sighed and said: "Never mind. It's no use."

"Just say it, Roy." He whispered in a low voice, so quietly that he wasn't sure had the redhead heard him. The way he said it was desperate, it was like he would've been deep in a swamp and Roy would've had a rope and he would've been asking him to save him.

The general lifted his head and looked into his eyes with pain in his owns, they were glittering with the tears he was trying to hold back. His bangs were glues on his forehead by the water, his whole face was glittering with the water, his clothes were hanging on him like wet laundry.

They looked at each other for a passing moment until Link understood; Roy couldn't say it in front of Marth, not in front of his best friend. He wanted it to be a secret. And it was understandable too; the general didn't want to admit his feelings and kept denying what he really was.

"I'll be right back." He said to the noble, who nodded and then went to the corridor with Roy. "Can you say it here?"

"Link…" The redhead looked sad; he was clearly on the verge of tears. He came closer slowly and grabbed his shirt like a little baby does when its taken in a lap, Roy clenched his fists, holding the shirt tightly in his grip; he didn't want to let go. "Link…"

The elf felt a wave of relief going through him, it was the feeling of knowing that Roy hadn't completely stopped loving him and he just needed to try harder to get close to him, to get him away from that girl. He would need to fight for him, but not much. Because Roy was mostly in a battle of his own, he was in a struggle with his shyness, if he would just get over it and say the words he wouldn't need to doubt it anymore; did he love him or not. The Hylian frowned with sympathy and slowly pulled the boy close in a warm hug, right now he didn't care if his clothes got wet, he didn't care if Marth came out and saw them, he didn't care about anything except that he was hugging Roy and it felt like _heaven_.

Roy hugged him back as if they would've been apart for years and missed each other. He was pressing as close as he could, sniffling a little. Maybe it was the rain outside that made him sniffle or then he was desperately fighting against tears. Only later he noticed that the boy was repeating his name to his shirt that was now wet. He pressed the boy even closer, not even thinking that he'd probably need to explain what had happened to his boyfriend, Marth.

_Oh, god. I've got a boyfriend. _He thought with growing horror. _I've got a boyfriend! And it's not __Roy_

He let go of the general as if the boy would've been hot iron. The general looked at him like a scared puppy; like he had done something wrong and Link would roll a newspaper and hit him with it. He turned around and sighed. "Roy, I've got someone."

"I know. You've got Marth." The redhead said calmly, his voice quivered a little though.

"How do you--?"

"I saw you kiss in the bar."

Link knew that that wasn't where they had become a couple, it had been _today,_ but he didn't care to explain it to Roy, it would've probably only made him more upset. "Oh."

"And it doesn't matter. I have a girlfriend." Roy said, his voice quivering more. He was starting to need another hug; or at least that was how he felt. "I don't know how long I can stand her though." He continued as if he would've been explaining himself. Explaining his actions. Hinting that soon he might be single.

"Yeah." Link turned around and grabbed his shoulders gently. "Did you say it doesn't matter?"

"Yeah." The general didn't know how long he would be able of holding himself back. He would break and it would be soon, it was just a matter of time. And he didn't want to break in front of Link, he wanted to be strong like a stone wall, because that was what he had been taught. He wanted to be so strong; he wanted to be strong by _himself, alone. _But he knew that he would be stronger with Link.

"No." The elf continued, his cerulean eyes boring into his. "It does. It does, because _were not done _yet."

"What?" The redhead asked, rising his eyebrows; he _didn't want to_ understand what the elf was trying to say.

"Roy… My love… We still have feelings for each other." The Hero said gently.

Roy's eyes had been soft and vulnerable until now, they were waiting for those comforting words Link always had; now they turned into flame and defiance; denial. "S_hit happens._"

Link was taken aback. He knew the general protected himself by denying things from himself, which wasn't healthy either, but he hadn't expected this. What he just said meant that he had _accepted_ his feelings and come too late because Link was already with Marth. He couldn't say anything.

"An understanding. Good." Roy ascertained after a long moment of silence as he left. "Bye now, I'm going to go get really drunk."

"Roy, don't." The elf said.

"Why not?" He turned around; his voice sounded a little irritated by Link's worry.

"When you're drunk… you do things you don't--"

"Thanks, _mom_, but I think I can take care of myself. Bye." Roy waved to him and left. He didn't stop before the elevator doors, waiting for it to come and pick him. The Hylian watched after him, not wanting to let him go. He was so close, he was right there, he was _in his arms_, but yet he was so far, he was in another galaxy, behind a thousand stars.

The elevator doors opened and he bolted for it as the boy entered. Right before they closed, he put his arm in between them and they opened again. He jumped into the elevator, grabbing the boy by his tunic; Roy hadn't seen him, and turned him around to hug him. The redhead gasped by the sudden act of mad love. But before he even noticed, he was back to his old self, his lips locked on the elf's and the feeling he knew that could never be replaced was there, in his spine roaring a death cry like a dying lion.

Link didn't want to let go. He pressed the boy closer, kissing him and Roy let him kiss himself. It was just like before, just like it had always been. Link felt Roy's arms on his back as well, holding him there, wanting to take him with him, run away from this life and forget everything except each other. They both knew that this could be the last kiss they could ever have, yet it could be the beginning of their relationship without Peach or Marth or anyone.

Yes. They.

Not he and he.

_Just the two of them_.

---

Young Link woke up in his bed, he remembered faintly a dream of Link and something, but couldn't see it clearly. There had been a room, lit with red lights… Dim. Everything had seemed a little blurry as if he would've been wearing some kind of a mask.

Finally he gave up trying to remember the dream and got up, seeing that the clock pointed only 10 p.m. He got out of his room, finding Marth on the couch and was slightly surprised by it. Why was he there? Was he going to stay overnight? What happened to Roy? Was Roy hiding under a table?

"Hi, Marth."

"Hi, Young Link, are you all right?" The prince turned to look at him, the TV talking alone in front of him.

"…Yeah. Where's Link?"

"He went outside with Roy a while ago." Marth answered calmly.

"Oh." The tiny elf said and sighed mentally. The prince wasn't here because Link was with him; he was here maybe because Link had wanted to go out with the general. "No wonder what they'll do."

"What?" The noble asked as if he wouldn't have understood his joke.

_Maybe he doesn't know… _Young Link concluded. "Stuff."

"What kind of stuff?" Marth asked curiously.

"You know… I'm too young to know anything." He said with a wink and disappeared to the bathroom, leaving the prince in the living room alone again, wondering what on earth did he mean by what he had just said? Marth stared at his feet, it couldn't be that Link was somehow… with Roy? Could he really do that sort of a thing?

_Of course not._

Then maybe Young Link was just kidding, knowing that Link was gay and he and the general were close friends. Before he got to think about it, the door opened and Link came back, looking sad and disappointed. He was obviously trying to hide it, but failed, the dagger of sadness was in his heart and he couldn't hide it. The prince got up, worried of

_his__ friend or his lover? _

Link and walked to him, offering him a hug which he took gratefully.

"What happened?"

"…Not much."

The noble sighed, letting the matter drop. It wasn't any of his business anyway, if Link wanted to talk about he would listen, but otherwise he would leave him alone. Some things are too painful to talk about.

After a while of silence the prince finally got the elf talking again, but not much. All he said was that they should go to bed because it's getting late. He agreed, what else could he do?

They got to bed and Marth pulled Link close. The elf couldn't help feeling that he was cheating on Roy although he knew very well that he wasn't. He pressed closer to the noble, who let him come nearer, looking at him tenderly. The prince kissed him gently on his forehead and he faked a smile, hoping that Marth wouldn't suspect anything, but he was wrong; his mask was weak and effortless.

The cobalt eyed man didn't say anything, he just frowned a little, but thought that it would pass. Maybe it was something Roy had said, maybe about them, maybe this was about the school that had been attacked by terrorists; it was Young Link's school. Yeah, Link would talk about it if he needed to.

"Good night, Marth", the elf said.

"G'night."

It was a matter of seconds until the prince was asleep. He slept peacefully, his chest went up and down serenely, his breathing was slow and stable. The elf felt safe there, Marth was so calming. But he couldn't help the feeling of cheating on Roy. And although he tried to suffocate that voice inside him, it kept screaming how much it wanted him to go to Roy and kiss him and hug _him. _

It was Roy he wanted.

But he wanted it to be Marth.

_"I don't know how long I can stand her though." _He could remember the redhead's words. But right now Roy was getting drunk somewhere, and god only knew what would happen to him. The elf sighed.

_Only_ God knew.

And maybe Roy too.

Meanwhile Young Link tossed and turned in his bed. He was seeing a nightmare of what had happened to his school, how everyone had burned. But in his dream, all the corpses got up and tried to eat those still alive. He could see his friends, Nana and Popo turn into zombies and watch them chasing Ness and catching him eventually and eating him. Finally all the three of them came to him, their faces partly eaten by the other zombies and they ate him, making weird, primitive sounds. He woke up and gasped, realizing that it was all a dream.

He lay back on his back on the bed and took a deep breath, closing his eyes again to drift to sleep.

"Zombie-wombies don't exist." He whispered quietly. "They're only in the game."

_But what happened to the people at your school? Were they a part of a super secret bio weapon test, disguised as a terrorist attack? What if they're all banging the doors of their little closets in the morgue, screaming and moaning and wanting to come after you? Maybe they're already out of the morgue… _

"Are not." He said defiantly to his imagination.

_Are not, eh? What if they are? What if they're waiting for you right behind the door, smelling you and wanting to eat you, but knowing that you'd never exit this room if you heard them breathing there lustily behind your door, smacking their lips as they thought about you? _

_Are those feet I_ _see?_ Young Link thought as he looked at the small gap between the door and the floor.

_Or… maybe they're already in this room, waiting for you to fall asleep? In the closet with your clothes? Under your bed, reaching a hand to under your blanket to grab your warm leg with its rotten, cold, stiff hand with long nails like claws?_

Young Link sat up. "That's enough." He got up and walked to his room's door, gathering his courage. "Stupid, rotting idiots." He cursed as he opened the door, in a fighter stance, ready to kick off anyone uninvited's head. But there was no one there.

_See, told you! _The tiny elf celebrated in his mind.

And then he saw it.

"AAAAGHHH!"

---

The return of the Smash Files! Whoohoo! No, sorry. I'm evil to leave this with a cliff-hanger and zombies and Roy _alone _in the bar. Speaking of zombies, meet my pet: Keeper.

Keeper: More itchy. I no feed doggies, Steve get mad eat steve face tasty.

Link: -wide-eyed-A zombie as a pet?

Keeper: Itchy. Tasty.

Good boy, Keeper. Thanks for reading, Keeper'd love your reviews! And flesh too, but we can pass that. -sweatdrops-


	14. Uhambe Kahle Part 04 I Saw You! Tasty!

EPISODE 03: Uhambe Kahle Part 04 I Saw You! Tasty.

No, Keeper.

---

His phone rang in his pocket and he answered it, not really caring who was calling.

"Yeah?" His voice sounded drunk, but not much. It was still raining, but not as heavily as earlier. The rain felt refreshing to him after spending many hours in the bar.

"Hi, sweetie-honey!" It was Peach. Her voice sounded sweet, like always when he did exactly what she wanted; mindlessly, like a robot.

"What do you want?" He said, irritated.

"…I'd like to talk with you, pumpkin." She said very carefully.

"About what?" Roy answered. "Aren't we through?"

"I'd like to talk with you about that… Can you come over?" Peach asked very carefully, now she was dropping off the nicknames. He liked that because being called 'honey-pumpkin' or 'sweetie-baby' was starting to piss him off. He had a name she could use if she wanted to talk to him.

"Now?" He asked. He just wanted to go home now. Go home and think about Link and hope that he could've said the words when he had been there, they had kissed! They had _kissed_ and he hadn't been able of saying it. In the elevator, after the kiss Link had just held him close and he had wanted to be held, he had wanted to stay like that forever, in that elevator and stop the time.

But instead he had just pressed close, burying his head in Link's chest and holding his tears back desperately, if he would've started crying Link wouldn't have let him leave, he would've taken him to his apartment and he would've felt embarrassed, disturbing their quiet probably romantic evening. And worse, he would've had to explain why he would've been crying. What could he say?

_"I'm crying because I love Link and I can't have him! He's got you, Marth, why would he even want to look at me?" _

_Then why did he kiss you? _His subconscious asked immediately as if it would've been waiting for its turn for a long time.

_Yes? Why did he kiss me? I wish I understood him better. I wish I knew what's going on with him._ He thought. Maybe one day they could be alone and get to the bottom of this. Get to the bottom of their feelings. Link had said that they weren't through, they still had feelings for each other and he was right! But why then… _why_ was he with Marth?

"Roy?" Peach asked, waking him from his thoughts.

"Now?" He repeated.

"Yeah… If it's okay with you." Peach answered sweetly. She really wanted to see the redhead now, she knew that he wanted to get rid of her and she needed to find a way to make him stay. She wanted him to be crushed under her boot. Roy would be hers to keep, even if it meant pain for him.

"Fine." The boy answered and she closed the phone. She had a few minutes to think about what to say or do when he would enter her apartment. Something… something he couldn't avoid… something so cunning that he would be lost and she would be able of controlling him completely.

And that's when she had her idea.

And oh, it was the greatest idea _ever_.

Having no idea of her plans, Roy walked towards her apartment, not really knowing what to think. She had sounded so nice on the phone, maybe she was changing… maybe she had realized that she couldn't act like a goddess and was now trying to make up for her previous actions.

_Yeah, right. _His subconscious said scornfully. He smiled a little to himself, knowing that no one really changes. They can act different, but everyone has their own personality they can't change, someone has a short temper; they can fake calm, someone thinks the world is theirs; still they can act humble, everyone can be anyone if they try, but the feelings they really feel are only suffocated, smothered… and they'll still be there, inside them, gnawing their hearts.

Peach could try to change, she could act sweet and caring, but inside she was just the same merciless, vainglorious, selfish bitch she had always been.

Right when he was going into Peach's apartment building, a man ran to him, looking scared, drops of cold sweat glittered on his forehead. He didn't bother to apologize, just muttered something like 'watch where you're going.' The redhead looked at him a little curiously, the man had a strange necklace, a lion and a dragon carved in a medallion. His face was full of small craters left by acne, probably from his teenager years. His eyes were almost white, so grey they were that they scared the general.

He got up, soaked again because the man had made him fall over into a puddle of dirty water. Murmuring curses to himself he got into her apartment building and pressed his shirt and pants of water as much as he could, but they just glued to him, now feeling icky and cold against his warm skin.

_I wish Link would make me warm. _He wanted to be surprised by the thought, why he had thought of that, but he knew he loved Link, that was why he kept thinking about him all the time.

He climbed the stairs, finding it rather hard after a few beers but made his way to Peach's door, still thinking about Link all the time. He wanted to call him and tell him about his feelings, he wanted him to _know _that he loved him… maybe he already did.

_"We still have feelings for each other." _He had said. He wouldn't have said 'we' if he hadn't meant the both of them.

"Oh, Roy! Come in!" Peach opened the door, wearing only a red silk robe, loosely tied on her waist. "You're all wet, poor thing!" She said sympathetically.

"Yeah." He ascertained rather absent-mindedly, wanting her to be Link.

"Take off those wet clothes; I'll get you a robe or some new clothes."

Roy frowned but obeyed. He really wanted to get rid of the wetness on his body, now it felt warmer when he was indoors, but still sticky.

He undressed to his boxers and decided to wait for her to come back. He wouldn't want to jump around in her apartment naked; that would be rather embarrassing.

She got back after a while, bringing a towel with her.

"I couldn't find any clothes your size… They're all too small." She said kindly. "But here's a towel and because it's so late you should go to sleep. My bedroom's the first door to your left."

"Uh… okay." Roy answered. This was weird. She wasn't supposed to be acting like this. She was supposed to be mean and annoying and selfish… but she was nice. She was like any other girl.

He did what she told him to do and after he had dried himself, he lay back on her bed. She had a very soft and comfortable bed, a thick blanket and two fluffy pillows, his head sank to one of them and it felt really nice. The only thing he didn't like about the bed was a very sweet scent of something, like candies. Maybe it was one of her perfumes; her make-up table was in the corner of the room.

After a while he started to feel really drowsy, the room was calm and quiet, a clock ticked calmly on the wall. There was a dim light coming from a small table lamp on her make-up table, colouring the room's normally controlled rose coloured walls to a slightly more orange.

He had already fallen asleep when Peach came in and snuggled close to him, pressing her soft body against his to warm them both. He wanted to push her away; he wanted to have Link next to him, holding him close with his strong arms. He didn't bother to push her away at all; she kissed him a few times, then moved to his neck and kept kissing him gently until he fell asleep.

---

"Shut up!" Link snapped at his younger self. He was obviously on his way to bed from the bathroom. "You don't want to wake Marth up." His voice softened.

"Then stop scaring me!" Young Link argued. "Marth? What's he doing here?"

"Meeting the Prince of Wales, of course." Link answered, trying to be smart.

The tiny elf was quiet for a while. "…Whales don't have princes!"

"Go back to bed, midget." The Hero didn't bother to explain. He just wanted to go back to bed, stop thinking about Roy and Marth and get lost into the world of dreams for a few hours more.

"…I… I can't." He drew a circle with his foot on the floor. It was embarrassing to tell Link about his nightmares although they were the same person and had the same fears and Link would probably understand his fears better than anyone else.

The older elf frowned with worry. "Why?"

"I saw a nightmare."

"What was it about?"

"…Zombies." He admitted, feeling highly embarrassed to be afraid of such a stupid thing as walking corpses; they were the oldest and dumbest of scary things. Yet they were really scary when… when they…

"No more watching as I play Resident Evil." The Hero laughed shortly, heartily and not even a bit scornfully.

"But--!"

"If it gives you nightmares, don't you think it would be smart not to watch it?"

"…Yeah." Young Link admitted unenthusiastically.

"Yeah." The older elf repeated with confidence. "Can you sleep? At all?" He rested a hand on his shoulder, like he would've been talking to an equal, not his younger self.

"No. I tried."

"Come, you can sleep between me and Marth." The Hero said tiredly, he could talk to Young Link about his nightmares in the morning, now they could both use some sleep.

"Why between you two?" The small elf asked sharply, as if there was something wrong with sleeping between the two of them.

The elf averted his gaze, not wanting to answer the question. He knew the answer but he wanted to smother the voice inside him, leave him alone.

"Why don't you want to sleep next to him?" The tiny elf asked.

"I do!" The Hero snapped. "I just thought you'd feel safer between me and him, but if you start jumping to conclusions, you can sleep on the floor for all I care."

"No! It's fine by me to sleep between you two, but I just thought--"

"Don't." Link snapped.

"Fine." He answered. Then he walked slowly in front of the elf to the dark room and crawled next to Marth on the warm bed. The noble grunted, but put an arm around him and he felt so safe. He felt that nothing could ever hurt him when Marth was holding him close and Link on the other side. He pressed closer to the prince, who let him come and smiled a happy smile. He felt Link's back against his own and his smile disappeared. Why wasn't Link happy with Marth? He should've been.

But before he got to think about it any more than just that, he yawned and with the yawn a peaceful, drowsy feeling spread to his whole body, making him relaxed; ready to fall asleep.

The only one who couldn't sleep after that was Link. That was only because his loved one was out there, somewhere alone, getting himself into trouble when he could've been there, next to him, having all the kisses and cuddles he could ever hope for.

_Just the three words, __Roy_

The morning came, the sun rose from the east with all the shades of orange and red on the sky, colouring the clouds rouge.

"Parker's School was attacked by terrorists only a while ago. Only a few passer-bys were injured, so far the police haven't found any bodies. In other news, the governor of--" Roy opened his eyes as he heard the TV on. There had been another terrorist attack?

He sat up, noticing that he wasn't in his own bed and he was _naked. _That made him jump to many hasty conclusions. After a while he remembered faintly Peach calling to him and asking for him to come over; so maybe this was her bed.

He got up, put the towel around his waist and left to the girl's living room. She was having a cup of coffee, watching the news with a rather bored expression on her face.

"Morning." The redhead said and she nodded. "I heard about some terrorist attack on the TV."

"Yeah, someone hit Parker's School with the same stuff St. Richard's school was attacked with." Peach answered calmly. Roy wondered for a brief moment had he actually seen a dream that she would've been nice to him or anyone else and actually thought about someone else's feelings.

"I better go there and take a closer look; I'm assigned to this case."

"Okay, come back before dinner." Peach said passively.

_What? _His mind screeched. Had he promised to eat with her? Like, as… as if they lived together? He couldn't have! He knew he did stupid things when he was drunk, but he wouldn't promise to anything like that, it almost meant the same as living together; a thing that, with Peach, could be hell.

Instead of screaming aloud like his mind would've wanted him to do, he acted happy.

"Oh, you're making dinner?"

"Well, I was thinking you'd make it." She answered simply.

_Oh, yeah, this is the Peach I know. _He thought with a smile. "Oh… I have a long day at work and I'd really like to go home tonight."

"Why? Are you breaking up with me?" Peach stood up, her lower lip trembling as if she would burst to tears any second now. She was clearly using all the dirty tricks to make him stay.

"No, I'd just like to go home tonight…"

"WHY?" She screamed.

"…for… for Marth's and Link's… umm… Young Link… umm… He's got problems at school and you know, and old friend like me could probably help." He made up, hoping that she wouldn't see through his horrible and unbelievable lie, because he seriously didn't want to eat in her apartment, not with her and _definitely _not if _he _made the food.

"Oh… That's very sweet of you." She said, maybe a little scornfully. "Remember that I'm your girlfriend though."

"Of course, of course…" He ascertained, rolling his eyes. As he left he mumbled: "It's hard to forget."

He was sure she had heard him when she got up from the couch, but gladly she only went to the fridge to get something to eat. He closed the door behind him, still wondering what he had done last night after leaving the bar. He remembered the man, who had come running towards him and bumped into him, he remembered coming to her apartment, he remembered taking off his clothes and being in bed with her.

_In bed with her?_His subconscious asked. _I sure hope we didn't do anything._

He thought about him and Peach until he got to Parker's School and with lots of work, was able to squeeze through the mass of curious people who had come to watch what was happening. He saw paramedics talking with the police, the fire department was already leaving, there were cars from the S.F.B.I. and people were running back and forth between the cars and the school. He saw a glimpse of Link, but before he could even start towards him, he was already gone.

The redhead sighed as he climbed up the stairs of the school, looking at his feet, feeling bad for the kids who had died. Suddenly someone running bumped into him and they both rolled down the stairs, the man ending on top of him. He blushed immediately, but without a word or a short laugh, the man got up and fixed his cap so that it was hard to see his face.

"Hey!" The general grabbed his hand suddenly. Then he remembered the guy from last night and was rather surprised to see that he was working for the S.F.B.I., in violent crimes. Marth hadn't told him about a new partner. "I saw you la--"

"No one did." The man whispered and, with the speed of a panther, threw him on the ground.

Then there was darkness.

---

I know, I know… It's a bad chapter, but at least something happened.

And another cliff hanger. Evil me!

Thanks for reading!


	15. Uhambe Kahle Part 05 Uncaught, Unaccused...

EPISODE 03 Uhambe Kahle Part 05 Uncaught, Unaccused, Unresponsible

---

Link had ran to Roy as soon as he had seen the fuss near him, the man shouting, paramedics rushing there. He had been sure something really bad had happened, that maybe Roy had died without one final kiss, without being happy. His heart had raced in his chest, he had forgotten Marth, Young Link, even himself, the only thing he cared about was to see Roy breathe and open his eyes.

Furiously he had pushed everyone aside to see the redhead, to convince his heart that Roy was still alive, that there wasn't a puddle of blood under his head, his face wouldn't be smashed, his every limb would be on its original place, nothing twisted, nothing broken.

The paramedics let him close, telling him that the redhead had only fainted, but obviously seeing the worry in his eyes and he immediately put his hand on the general nose, feeling his warm breath on his fingers and sighed in relief. He lifted the general from the street to his arms, remembering all those times when Roy had passed out on his floor and he had carried him to his bed and covered him with a blanket. And every time the general had breathed so calmly like a child, he had grasped the blanket with one hand and wrapped it tighter around himself, how could Link _not _love him?

He sighed, wondering how could he have ever let himself even think otherwise? He was obsessed, he had always been and he would always be. He couldn't deny it and with all the memories he had, he didn't even want to. Roy was the one he wanted, not Marth, no matter what he had tried to believe.

"Is he all right?" The prince arrived; it had taken him slightly longer to arrive.

"Yeah, the guy just KO'd him." Link answered, starting towards his apartment. "Can you tell Boss I'm taking the rest of the day off?"

"Sure." Marth answered a little melancholically, certain sadness in his eyes as he looked at the two. He knew there was something there; their bond was stronger than what he could ever create with Link, their friendship was pure trust, their minds worked alike…

And then it occurred to him.

Their _hearts _beat as one.

---

Link put the general gently on his couch, watching him breathe calmly. He knew he was with Marth and that he couldn't leave him just like that for Roy; that would've been rude and broken his heart like a wineglass resonancing. But while he would gather his courage and slowly separate himself from the prince… and then… then only Roy's girlfriend would be in their way.

He brushed the general's bangs off is face, wanting him to open his eyes and grab his hand and pull him close like when he was drunk, but he wouldn't do that sober. He was too shy, and even if his shyness didn't stop him, his senses did every time.

The elf trailed a finger on his jaw line, hoping that they were together, that none of this would've happened. Then he put his whole hand on the general's cheek, looking at him tenderly like he was looking at something he yearned, he loved so much but was forbidden to touch.

And maybe it was one of the reasons he wanted Roy more than ever. He was _forbidden _to kiss him and yet it was so tempting, watching his lips in the apartment without any sounds, only the silent hum of the traffic somewhere down on the street.

And no harm would be done if he just once touched those lips, not even kissed, only brushed his lips against them to feel them, to revive the memories of those days when he had still been Roy's only one. Ad while at it, he could as well let his hand feel his body once more to remember all those dark nights when the general had actually wanted to sleep with him.

He pressed his lips gently on Roy's, feeling the softness of them, the heat and the passion, the spicy, ardent nature of the boy. He was so unlike Marth. Marth was cool, calm, never lost his temper, always very thoughtful, when Roy was fiery, passionate, short-tempered, inestimable, his emotions changed in a flash from happy to anger, from hope to defiance.

Link didn't want to let go. He cupped the general's head with both hands, letting his tongue touch the lips as well, taste them, feel them, make his fierceness tingle in his mouth. And the whole time he kissed Roy he wanted him to wake up and answer his kiss, wrap his arms around him and press him closer, he would understand it as 'I love you' and then all of this, all his doubts would vanish.

Finally he pulled away, laughing a little melancholically at himself. He was so pathetic that he kissed the one he loved when this was unconscious, unable to remember any of his cuddles later. His kiss had been wasted; Roy would never even know that on that day Link had kissed him, maybe a kiss goodbye.

He closed his eyes for a moment. He wouldn't be obsessed with Roy anymore. It would have to be over if the boy wanted to continue his relationship with his girlfriend.

He turned to look at the small elf's door as Young Link walked to the living room, yawned and shuffled to the bathroom. For a while he wasn't sure had he seen a hallucination or was this real.

"Young Link?" He called warily.

The tiny elf opened the bathroom door, looking at him with tired eyes. "What?"

"What are you doing here?" Link demanded with a strict voice.

"Trying to take a leak." Young Link ascertained, closing the door.

The Hero sighed. "Sorry, I forgot you don't have a school."

"I don't mind."

"I do."

"You shouldn't worry so much, giant."

"You shouldn't try to avoid education so much, youngie." The older elf said. "When this case is solved, I'm taking you to a new school."

"Whatever."

Later on Marth arrived, asking how the general was. He tried to leave to go back to work, but Link wouldn't let him, he wanted to tell him something. After a few kisses. And a few more kisses.

Actually, he didn't want to say it at all, finding Marth to be a wonderful kisser, but he did love Roy more. Just at the moment the general felt distant in his mind, his senses wanted to block him away as forbidden and take Marth, take someone to drown his sorrow with, someone who would replace the general in case Roy didn't want him.

"Agh!" Roy woke up on Link's couch, feeling how someone was wiping his face with a cold, wet bandage. He gasped as if it would've been something very disgusting and tore it off his face, throwing it away and sitting up, remembering the man throwing him over his shoulder. "What happened?"

"The man who knocked you out cold was arrested." Marth said kindly from the kitchen. As he turned to look over there, he and Link were awfully close. Young Link was sitting next to him, giggling at his reaction to the wet bandage.

"We think he's a member of the Uhambe Kahle, the terrorist group and someone's questioning him right now."

"Why didn't you fight back?" The small elf asked.

"I… It happened so quickly."

"You should've been faster." The boy continued. "Like Batman! He can dodge anything!"

"Batman or not, are you all right?" The Hero walked closer to him and sat on the couch too, gazing directly into his eyes with worry in his owns. A feeling passed Roy's mind, for a moment he could've sworn that Link still loved him more than anything on this Earth, but it passed fast and he wouldn't let it bother his thoughts.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He answered quickly.

"I told him you would, but he's been fretting it still." The small blonde said with his clear voice and Link glared at him, but then his lips melted into a smile.

"Maybe I worried a little." He admitted then, looking at Roy softly. He put his hand on Roy's cheek, obviously in his thoughts. "I can't help worrying when it's about someone I care about."

The general felt the same feeling again, he _knew _Link still loved him. But he was with Marth now. He glanced quickly at the noble, who was looking at the elf with glassy, icy, emotionless eyes. It seemed as if he knew he would always be second to Roy in Link's heart.

But at that moment Roy didn't care. He could see that Link loved him; it was so clear that he wanted to take his head in his hands and kiss him right there, but the Hylian was with Marth. They were a couple and even if Marth knew how they felt about each other, it would be unfair towards him to just start kissing in front of him. So he had to hold himself back, wait for a moment when he and Link were alone.

_And you still have to get rid of Peach. _His subconscious reminded. But he had already told her he wanted to break up, now he just needed to say it to her face and he would. Then she would be history and he could run to Link and tell him how he felt and then the elf would smile in his gentle way and they'd kiss. And then Link'd leave Marth and everything would be like it had once been. But confessing his feelings wasn't so easy. Although he knew Link loved him back, it still needed courage and acceptance from his mind.

A new problem rose to his mind. Weren't friends' old boy or girlfriends taboo? So if Link would break up with Marth, it would mean that he was his best friend's ex… And he couldn't touch him.

_Oh, shit. _He thought. _It can't be! _But it was. And suddenly he wanted to cry. This couldn't be happening. His stupidity and prejudices couldn't have caused this.

"Is something wrong?" Link asked and he snapped out of his thoughts.

"Uh… No. Everything's fine. My head just hurts a little."

"Can I go get an aspirin, Link, can I?" The little elf asked excitedly. He was clearly enjoying nursing Roy.

"No, I'll be fine." The general answered, rubbing his head.

Young Link grunted and left to his room, looking a little sad that Roy wouldn't let him nurse him. The redhead got up, stretched as if he would've been asleep and thanked the two for helping him.

"It's okay. By the way, your cell phone rang a few times while you were out cold." Marth said kindly. He dug it from his pocket and checked the calls, noticing that Kayla had called him. Also Peach had, but he didn't want to call her now. He dialled her number, wondering why she would've called him.

"Hello?" She answered as if she would've been in a hurry.

"Hi, Kayla, it's Roy. You called."

"Hi, Roy! I heard what happened at Parker's School, are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Anyway, I found something different from these victims. None of them died, which differs from the attack to Sir Richard's School."

"And?"

"They've all caught AIDS." Kayla said with a tone of voice the doctors use to tell 'you've got incurable cancer' to their patients.

"No!" He protested, he couldn't believe what she was saying.

"Yes. Two out of four have been in AIDS test before, results negative. Now all four have AIDS, it's advancing very fast although they're under the right treatment. I started to think that--"

"If Uhambe Kahle is only testing their weapons with humans?" The redhead cut her off.

"Yes." She said sadly.

"That's inhuman!"

"What?" The both swordsmen's attention was now on him. He turned his back on them to be able to focus on Kayla better.

"Yes. Was your attacker a member of Uhambe Kahle?"

"I don't know yet, but they suspect that."

"I hope he is." Kayla said hopefully. "They can't just attack schools."

"No, they can't. I'll come by to the lab when I can, try to keep the AIDS patients alive."

"I'm not a doctor, Roy. I'm a scientist." She reminded him.

"Can you get someone to help them?"

"Doctors in the hospital are doing their best."

"Oh, good." Then he ended the call and told Link and Marth what was going on. The prince narrowed his eyes; he took a few deep breaths as the general told them about the people who had got AIDS at Parker's School. It was clear that he was furious about the loss of human lives, but was able of remaining calm like a prince should.

Link however, stood up, looking openly worried.

"How many have been contaminated?"

"Four so far. And the disease is advancing fast."

"What do you mean? Are the doctors infected too now?" Marth asked quickly, his voice had a hint of anger in it.

"No, but those infected are dying. The AIDS in them is advancing faster than what it should, medical treatment doesn't seem to slow it down." Roy ascertained sadly. "I think I'll go see my attacker now and then go to the lab… Maybe we find a clue or anything."

"I think I'll go to the hospital to talk with the victims if they know something." Link said a little worriedly.

"Take me with you." The noble looked at the elf, taking a step towards him, his expression, although calm, was still worried and deep in his eyes was hatred, so fierce that the Hylian almost took a step back.

"Okay." He said, forcing a smile for a reason he didn't know.

---

Roy opened the door to the interrogation room, seeing the man who had knocked him out. There was an officer he didn't know talking to him. Without a word he walked to one of the corners of the room and crossed his arms on his chest, listening to the two talk.

"I knocked him out because I wanted to!"

"Why then did you infiltrate to the SFBI if you only did it for fun?"

The general listened with one ear and read the file, the man's profile quietly. Hamal ku Hebe was his name. It sounded weird to the redhead's ear, because this was a white man yet he had an African name.

"We had this bet with--"

"Why do you have an African name?" Roy interrupted, drawing both of their attention to him.

Hamal was quiet for a while. "…I come from Africa."

"Where there?" He asked quickly, not giving the man time to think.

"…South Africa."

"Where are your parents from?"

"Africa, where I come from too!" Hamal flared up, but got a hold of himself and calmed down.

"What are their names?"

"…What's wrong with--"

"What are their names?" He asked again.

"Lemke Abu Hah and Halma ku Hebe." The man admitted.

"They have a different last name, does this mean they weren't married?"

"Why are you asking about my pare--"

"Answer." The general commanded.

"Yes, they were."

"Why the different names?"

"They didn't want the same name!"

"Were they dark skinned?" The general asked.

"My mother was but not my--"

"Wrong!" Roy said victoriously. "I've studied medicine and you just made a mistake!"

"Wh--?"

"You see, just like eye colour, skin colour is hereditary. And you have gone to school haven't you?"

"Yes…" The man started to sweat.

"You've probably heard that blue eye colour is recessive. If both parents are blue-eyed, the children will be blue-eyed. But if one of the parents is brown-eyed, the children will be brown-eyed because brown overcomes the blue chromosomes." Roy hit his hands on the table as if he had made a breakthrough, gazing maliciously at the man.

"So what?" Hamal asked defiantly.

"Pale skin colour is also recessive. If your mother would've really had dark skin, you would have it too!"

"So what if I lied about my mother?" He crossed his arms across his chest.

"We can now put you in a lie detector test _against _your will because you have lied to us." The redhead said victoriously.

Hamal went completely pale. "You can't! I want a lawyer!"

"You can get one, but a lawyer won't save you from the lie detector."

The man glared at him for a while and then agreed to the test. Well, he had no choice, so he probably decided to cooperate in case he would be prosecuted of the terrorist attack at Parker's School, maybe his good behaviour might take a few years off his sentence.

They were all quiet, Roy behind the glass and the officer and Hamal. The general had wanted to join the two in the room, but the officer had told him to stay away in case he would trigger some unwanted emotions in Hamal, because those emotions might affect the lie detector as well. But, he had argued that if he couldn't be in there, then he would want to write the questions and the officer had accepted it.

_"Is your name Hamal ku Hebe?" _

_"…Yes."_

_"Are you 23 years old?"_

_"…Yes." _

_"Where were you last night at __2 a.m._

_"…On my way home past Parker's School."_

_"Did you bump into someone?"_

_"Yes, the very redhead I knocked out cold today morning." _It seemed as if he had enjoyed knocking him out and the general felt a moment of uncontrollable anger, he wanted to run into that room and punch his teeth down his trachea and watch him suffocate to them.

_"What were you doing at such an late hour?"_

_"…I'm not following."_

_"What were you doing around __2 a.m.__ before you bumped into our officer?"_

_"I was walking home."_

_"And before that?"_

_"I was in a bar."_

_"Did you go pass Parker's School on your way home?"_

_"Yes."_

_"Did you enter Parker's School on your way home?"_

_"No."_

_"Are you a member of Uhambe Kahle?"_

_"No."_

"How's it going?" Link entered quietly, closing the door carefully not to make any sounds.

"I got him from a small lie, but it won't help us much if he gets a lawyer." The redhead said, not turning around to see his beloved. Instead, his hands crossed on his chest tightened their grip around him as if he was hugging himself, comforting himself. Or then he just secretly wanted Link's attention.

_"Are you from __South Africa_

_"Yes."_

_"Do you know what a combination of Haemophilus Influenzae and Aqua Regia can cause?"_

_"No."_

Roy gasped as he felt Link hand's on his hips, clearly asking for permission to hug him and close him in a warm embrace. He couldn't help a smile tugging at his lips and he didn't really want to, he closed his eyes, leaning against Link's warm body, feeling his muscles against his back, his lips on his neck, not kissing but breathing calmingly. The Hylian's hands had found their way around him, squeezing him against him and he put a hand on the Hero's back of the neck, pressing his head on his neck.

And then he wanted to stop time. Escape the world. Forget everything.

_"Have you ever been in Parker's School?"_

_"No."_

_"Had any contact with it?"_

_"No."_

_"Have you ever handled bio weapons?"_

_"No."_

"One of the patients was a member of Uhambe Kahle." The elf whispered finally.

"…Really?" He asked unenthusiastically as if he couldn't have cared less, pressing closer to the one he loved.

"Yeah, she was pretty pissed at them too. Leah Baumhek."

The general didn't answer in a long time. The he whispered quietly: "Leah Baumhek. Hamal ku Hebe. Halma ku Hebe. Lemke Abu Hah."

"What are you talking about?" Link brushed his lips gently against Roy's neck, teasing him. The general sighed with both, pain and pleasure, not really knowing which more.

"Don't you see?" The general's tone of voice was still unenthusiastic, as if he would've rather been quiet and cuddled with the elf, left the world behind and hid somewhere with him. Truth was; he would've rather been quiet and cuddled with the elf.

"No, should I?" The Hylian whispered to his ear with a warm breath, eliciting another sigh.

_"Have you been to St. Richard's School?" _

_"Yes."_

_"Why?"_

_"I went to school there."_

_"Do you know your way around there?"_

_"Yes."_

_"Have you had any other contact with St. Richard's School than your own education?"_

_"I worked as a janitor there for a while."_

"They're anagrams. Anagrams of Uhambe Kahle… It would prove him as a member if the lie detector test proves him lying. I need to add a new question!" The redhead struggled free from the elf's grasp, but Link wouldn't want to let him go. "Let go, Link." He said, not really meaning it tough.

"You can ask that later." The Hero answered calmly, he didn't have the smallest intention to let him go. Roy found it actually very nice and eventually gave in, turning around to hug him back. In his mind he apologized to Marth for provoking his boyfriend to cheat on him, but he couldn't help it. He _loved _Link. And besides, they weren't doing anything. Maybe a few kisses of close friendship, some comforting hugs every now and then, nothing more than that.

But he wanted to say it.

Maybe Link was even waiting for it.

"Link." He called gently, not caring about the lie detector test anymore. He pushed the elf away gently, wanting to see into his eyes as he said it.

"Yeah?"

"I… I…" And there they were again. His feelings; guilt, deceitfulness, pain and shyness, blocking his road to happiness and he took their advice: "I would like to have you as my partner in the future." He regretted saying that immediately when he saw the look on Link's face, the confusion, the pure disappointment, but a deal with a friend was a deal. With a sigh and a gentle smile the Hylian hugged him again tightly.

"Just say it. Make my doubts disappear."

"Marth…" He whispered painfully. "I can't do that to our friendship."

"Do what?" The elf asked with confusion in his voice.

"A friend's old girl or boyfriends are taboo." Roy ascertained as if he would've been reading the book of law, a note where he would've been sentenced to death. "You are taboo to me."

"No, Roy, becau--"

The door opened and they pushed each other away quickly, finding the officer on the door. Link sighed in relief; at first he had been sure it would've been Marth. The officer looked at them weirdly for a while and then handed over the test results.

"He lied in quite a few questions. Question 9, 10, 12, 13, 14 and 15."

"So that means he was in Parker's School last night, he's a member of Uhambe Kahle, he knows about St. Richard's School and he has handled bio weapons." The general explained to the elf.

"Our guy?"

"Let's give him a try to prove his innocence." Roy said.

"Are you guilty or aren't you not guilty?" The elf joked, making them all chuckle a little as the two of them entered the room again, giving Hamal scary, maniac's smiles.

"Hamal, you've been lying in many of these questions." The general said, trying to be kind, but he couldn't help the devilish smile from spreading on his face.

"So?"

"It would help your sentence if you gave up the address of Uhambe Kahle's headquarters and a few names. It would take from two to four years off your sentence."

"How long will I get?" Hamal asked, now letting his fear show.

"Murder… _Mass Murder…_ Maybe a life. Maybe seven years. Depends on you." The elf said calmly.

"So if I give all the names and everything will you forget the test and get me a sentence as short as possible?"

"We'll do what we can." The general said, thinking: _Yeah, right. _

"Okay." Hamal started giving the names and addresses.

---

Roy walked to the office with a smile.

"Done. Hamal will get a shorter sentence for giving up vital information; some of Uhambe Kahle's members will probably be executed." He ascertained victoriously. "Our S.W.A.T is just investigating the abandoned school Hamal told us about."

"Has their leader been found?"

"Not yet. I can't seem to find Kayla either." The general ascertained sadly. "But we'll get their boss one day."

"One day… Maybe it will be the same day I get you."

Roy didn't answer; he just turned around with a smile on his lips and left the office. The elf waited for a while for him to come back and say something, but when he didn't, he ascertained, almost whispered with a sad smile, a smile like he would've known Roy's reaction all along:

"The same day when pigs start to fly."

"Before you even notice, they'll be flying past your window." Roy opened the door and smiled at him playfully before leaving again.

---

The S.W.A.T. entered the abandoned school on the edges of the city, finding only corpses. There wasn't the smell of death in the air yet, those bodies hadn't started to rot yet which meant that they hadn't been dead for more than just a few hours. Some of the bodies were still warm as they tried their skin.

The whole school was full of bodies. Bodies of all ages from ten to sixty-nine. Wealthy, healthy people, all of them poisoned. In the kitchen was a large bowl of Kaheka, a poison that slowly paralyzes the victims and then lulls them to sleep before it blocks the victims' throats and causes death, some of it had spilled on the floor.

No survivors were found. Every single person had swallowed Kaheka, leaving Uhambe Kahle uncaught for its horrible acts, unaccused of the death of hundreds of children, unbrought to justice.

---

Sorry, I had to cut off a few scenes, because of the length of one episode. I try to keep them equally long. And I'm not really sure is _resonancing_a word. –laughs-

Anyway, thank you for reading, thank you for reviewing and giving me 100 reviews for this story! I really wish this was the Smash Files, considering that it's been my best story… but on the other hand, SFBI wouldn't probably be in the position it's now without the SF. So, thank you once more!

-starts dancing to Haiducii with Keeper- Everybody to the limit!


	16. Cosworth Street 217 Part 01 Unsettling i...

EPISODE 04: Cosworth Street 217 Part 01 Unsettling is No Word for It

---

"Good morning." The elf entered the office later than Roy, who was reading a new case file.

"Morning." The redhead answered absent-mindedly.

"Is that our new assignment?"

"Yeah."

"What does it say?"

"Reports say that people have disappeared from that apartment building unexplainably fast, sometimes bodies have been found from the garbage, sometimes police has been notified of strange phenomena such as water turning red or containing lumps from unidentified sources in a certain apartment building on Cosworth Street."

"So, are we off to there then?"

"Nope", Roy answered. "We're going undercover as students."

"Oh." Link was slightly surprised, but happy that he could live with Roy for a while, have him close. And it seemed that the general was on a good mood too, so it didn't bother him either to live with him.

They arrived to the edges of the suburb, near the slums and saw the shape of the buildings, looked at each other, wondering what had they got themselves into. The houses seemed to be left to patter, the paint on the walls was cracking and they somehow looked so fragile as if they could fall apart just from a small touch or maybe even from the power of a sneeze. In front of every garage there was a pile of garbage; rusty bikes, blown tires, old canisters, all fallen into disuse.

"Wow… This is… completely different from the downtown." The redhead broke the silence finally.

"Well, you are nearing the slums." The driver said calmly, never taking his gaze off the road.

"Yeah, but I never though that it would look like this…" He said, a little stunned.

"You downtowners never even bother to visit here. If you did you'd know how lucky you are." The driver answered sourly.

"Where's Young Link, by the way?" Roy asked, remembering the tiny elf. Link was his caretaker, he should've been with them right now.

"He's living with Marth until this case's closed, but every time we leave the building to go to 'study', I'll go to him and take him to new school interviews."

"Oh… We're are you thinking to put him in?"

"I don't know yet. Someone told me ground schools are good, but there's the fact that I couldn't see him so often…" Link wondered, looking at the houses they passed.

"Don't put him in a ground school!" The general said worriedly, turning to look at his friend with wide eyes; probably surprised that he had even thought about it.

"How do you know?"

"I was in a ground school for two years. I hated it." Roy admitted, avoiding the elf's gaze.

"What do you suggest?" The Hylian asked as if he would've been Young Link's other parent and had a word in the matter. At first he wasn't sure had he heard the Hero correctly, but after looking into his sincere eyes, he knew he was serious.

"A normal school, just like St. Richard's." And after that they fell silent.

None of them said a word before they got to Cosworth Street 217, finally realizing what they had got themselves into. The apartment building was almost falling apart, its grey walls were dark and some unknown plant tried to grow on them with some little luck. The drainpipes were raped by rain, leaving rusty marks on the walls.

The two got out of the car and it left fast. The truck carrying their stuff came right after it, with a roar its engine died, but the driver refused to come out. The two exchanged glances, but gave up after a while and went to try the front door.

It was rusted and heavy-looking. The tiny glass window was blurry as if it wouldn't have been cleaned in ages. They tried to open it for a while, but then figured that it must be locked. Gladly there was a man with a rake on the yard, minding his own business, he hadn't probably even noticed them coming.

"Umm… Excuse me, but are you the janitor?" Link walked to the man wearing blue overalls. He looked at doubtingly, with a dark look in his eyes. Then he turned his back to them and continued sweeping.

"Excuse me, we're the new tenants, Guy and Richie and we don't have the key for the front door." He said and Roy frowned at their new names.

The man, if he even was the janitor, kept doing what he was doing, completely ignoring them. After a moment of waiting, the elf sighed. Roy had got enough and said with a defiant and jeering tone of voice: "Could you help us open the door if you possibly have a second's time to leave that rake of yours? I'll catch it if it runs away."

The janitor dropped his rake at once and walked past them slowly, glaring them with such unkindness that they couldn't help feeling awkward and unsettling. As they walked towards the building again, now with the janitor, they noticed that almost in every window was a person, watching them as if they were intruders on sacred land.

"Nice place." The elf said, obviously trying to start a conversation and make the moment less awkward, but no one answered. Roy was still a little shocked and his temper had risen, the janitor wouldn't say anything anyway, maybe he was just mute.

The janitor stopped at the door and took a hold of the handle with both hands. The he placed his boot on the wall next to the door and gave it a strong pull. The door whined, rust screamed in its hinges as it opened a little. The janitor pulled it again and it opened, creaking loudly.

"Thanks for your help." The redhead thanked the janitor, who had already left to continue his work without saying a word. "Hope your rake's still there!"

"I feel like a part of the family already." The Hero said jokingly, looking after him. Then they got to the car and started moving in. No neighbour arrived to help them; they were all following their movements from their windows, glaring at them.

At nightfall they had finally carried all of their stuff inside. Link sat on the couch, sighing. They had brought in only necessary things, such as a couch, a bed and a table along with some equipment from the S.F.B.I. headquarters to help their mission.

"Cosy, eh?" He asked, meaning the room filled with different kinds of boxes. The windows were curtainless, the walls of the apartment were old, cracking and on the ceiling there was a circle of darker ceiling, maybe water had damaged the floor one floor up.

"Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised these people having cockroaches for subtenants." The redhead looked at the kitchen, the light green walls and bright green cupboard doors. On the ceiling was hanging a single bulb, flickering slightly. The tap was rusted and croaked as he opened it. Gladly even the water looked normal. "Anyway, you were very creative with our names."

"I had to decide them in five minutes." The elf answered with a smile as the redhead returned.

"Guy and Richie?" Roy raised an eyebrow.

"I was thinking about Clark and Gable, but--"

The general couldn't help laughing. "Anything more suspicious?" Link laughed with him, but then they both became quiet and just looked at each other, smiling gently, enjoying the moment. After a while the elf got up and walked to him, putting his hands on his hips as if he wasn't quite sure would Roy want him to hug him. The redhead smiled, wrapping his arms tightly around the elf, pressing close. Link closed his eyes with a satisfied smile, wrapping his arms around Roy as well.

"I've missed you", he said.

The redhead didn't answer in a long time. "Marth…" He said finally.

"Oh, god." The elf sighed frustratedly. "Can we forget Marth and everyone for the time we're here?"

Roy looked at him with amazement in his eyes. "S-sure… I just thought that--"

"I'm going to break up with him."

"But why?" He asked worriedly, already knowing that he was the answer, that he had and would always stand in Marth's way to Link.

"I don't love him." The blonde answered. "He doesn't need to be treated this way."

"…Yeah." Roy admitted, remembering how every time the two of them had been alone, Link had cheated on Marth by kissing him and hugging him and cuddling him. He was right, it wasn't fair to treat the prince like he was some kind of a duty. "So we'll forget them."

"Good."

"…What do we have for food?" The general changed the subject, feeling a little awkward.

"Want to make something?" The elf stroke his hair, burying his hands in it and he wished that he would've been a cat and could've purred, because he really wanted to.

"I can't cook." He answered, pressing closer, suddenly wanting to forget that he even asked for food, at the moment all he wanted was to have Link close and if they started to make food he would have to let go of him.

"I'm not too good either…" The elf admitted. "But I can try."

"No, it's okay, actually I'm fine."

Link smiled at him, pressing him closer, starting to realize that maybe Roy wasn't able of saying his feeling so directly to someone like he was. Maybe he was too shy to say 'I love you' and this was his way of showing his love.

Maybe.

"I'd like to go to sleep though." He said, letting go of the general, who, for a while, clung onto him like a burr, not wanting to let go, but then gave up with a sigh.

"Okay… So we got two rooms and the kitchen. You can take that room, I'll sleep here on the couch." The redhead ascertained.

"No, you take the bedroom." Link argued. He wanted Roy to be happy, but most of all, he wanted to boy to ask him to sleep next to him. His subconscious even went so far as to fantasize of making love to him. But he slapped himself mentally, remembering that they weren't together and how shy Roy was.

"I--"

"Take it."

"Uh… Okay." The redhead answered with slight surprise of Link's sudden reaction. For a moment he wanted to hug the elf again, hug him real tight and take him with him to the bedroom, but couldn't. His heart was forcing him to do it, but his mind was against it, standing staunchly like a barricade.

So he sighed and left to the bedroom. He tried to turn on the lights, but the bulb hanging alone on the ceiling just flickered twice until going out totally. He sighed again.

"Great…" Then he quickly removed his clothes and slipped into the bed, knowing that Link was there, right behind the door, sleeping peacefully on the couch.

He turned around to gaze through the window to the sky filled with brown clouds, brown and sad, close to the ground as if they could fall down any second. And he couldn't help his thoughts of Link so close.

_If he only was here to make me warm…_He thought as the blanket felt cold against his warm skin. And the pillow felt hard against his head, the bed was the only thing comfortable. And somehow, his heart was trying to make him believe that Link could fix everything if not even make it better.

_What about Marth?_ His subconscious asked. Marth was Link's boyfriend! The two of them had each other, if he now went there, to the living room and asked Link to sleep next to him, he might do it, but it might also create a rather awkward moment. _If _Link loved Marth, that is. Because then he would say 'no' and Roy would need to return back alone to the bed, feeling worse than what he was feeling now. And then they could live happily with Marth until the end of time and he would leave them alone.

_What about YOUR happiness? _His heart asked. He closed his eyes for a moment, wondering would he really be happy with Link, not only now, but in the future as well. At the moment he didn't want any children, even the thought of being a father brought him nasty memories, but what if he wanted them in the future? He and Link couldn't have children. He knew that if his love would flare as it did now, he wouldn't _need _anything else than Link, but what if it wouldn't? What if he really wanted to have kids?

_Would it then be better to act straight, marry a girl, have children, although you aren't sure will you ever stop loving him?_ He didn't know. He knew what his heart was after, it wanted him to think about the present, about what was happening now, not what was going to happen in the future, tomorrow or in ten years. And right now he loved Link, more than anything and he wanted to be with him.

_Then get up, open that door and say it. Say it clearly, say it like you would be having a speech. **I have a dream! **__I love you!_

He almost got up before letting his mind have a word again. It brought him the thought about Marth and Link being taboo to him, like a beautiful vase in a museum, its gold and jewels glittering in the spotlight but behind a glass; no one could touch it. And promise… a promise was always a promise, if he broke it, he knew their friendship would be over. Because friendship is built on trust, and if he now got up and went to Link to tell him about his feelings and the elf would answer to them, it would make them both guilty for betraying Marth's trust.

_But at least if you told him, you would get rid of the uncertainty you're feeling now, you wouldn't need to think about him and how he feels about you all the time! _His heart screamed. He turned around again, staring at the door and how the light shining to his room under the door from the tiny gap between it and the floor was switched off as the elf went to bed. He knew that if he never told Link about his feelings, he would never get rid of the uncertainty and later on, maybe after ten years he would regret it, he would feel sad because not even then would he know Link's true feelings towards him.

Finally he got up, fed up with the thoughts inside his head and let his heart take him over, pushing his screaming senses away. He couldn't let the elf love Marth without knowing that he actually felt the same as he did. He stopped in front of the door for a second, uncertainty tip-toeing up his spine, whispering his weaknesses to his ears, but instead of believing it, he opened the door roughly and defiantly, getting a little scared by his own strength when he was mad. He walked to the living room which was dark and quiet, the only sound was the quiet breathing of the elf.

"Link?" He almost whispered, a part of him wanted the elf to answer and a part wanted him to be asleep.

It was a moment of horrible waiting, his heart beat against his chest like a bird that tries to fly out of a cage and he almost couldn't breathe, his legs felt flabby.

"Yeah?" The elf probably hadn't even fallen asleep yet, the answer didn't sound drowsy at all.

"Link, I can't take the bedroom." He tried to run away from the situation. He didn't want to confess his feelings. What if Link had _already _fallen in love with Marth and didn't want him anymore?

"Roy… We already spoke about this." The elf said kindly. He heard some rustling and knew that Link had sat up. Roy still didn't move, he couldn't, he was too nervous.

"But… I can really take the couch, it's okay with me…" He tried; he wanted to be with Link. He wanted to continue this conversation and escape from his confession. It felt so much harder now than when he had thought about it alone.

"I want the best for you, Roy and I want you to have the bedroom."

"But if… if you want me to have the bedroom…" The general knew he would either need to say it now or he would never be able to force himself to do it. But he didn't want to. Yet he wanted to. "…and I want you there too."

Link didn't answer.

He waited for a moment, looking into the direction of the elf, waiting for him to do anything, say anything, just release the suspense and give him an answer. But it seemed like Link wasn't going to say anything. Maybe he was just being quiet so that he would understand that it was useless confessing and that he loved Marth.

But he wanted to hear it. He wouldn't believe it before he heard it.

He swallowed and closed his eyes, trying to avoid crying and his voice quivering before continuing: "W-we… we could… share…" His voice faded away and disappeared, he was starting to feel like crying and his whole face felt so hot, saying all that hurt him deeply and he couldn't continue. he wanted to fall on his knees and cry and bury himself underground for ninety years, disappear without a trace. Link obviously noticed this.

"…I love you too." He said, sitting on the couch, facing away from him, his voice was nothing but a whisper, but it was so tender that it made Roy's heart flutter. Then he came near and hugged the general and Roy hugged him back, he had finally forced it out, forced himself to tell Link that he loved him. Well, it hadn't been 'I love you' or anything like that, but Link had understood.

He hugged him tight, never wanting to let go of him. He just wanted to be with the elf, hold him now that he was his, hide him from the world so that no one else could ever lay their eyes on his blonde treasure, but he knew that he couldn't do that. He would need to enjoy Link's love as long as it existed, maybe until tomorrow, maybe until death.

And one day he would say 'I love you.' But right now… he would settle for a kiss.

---

Yay! Do I hear squealing?

Keeper: -squeals happily at a victim twitching-

Hmm… Maybe I was wrong. Anyway, _finally _the two got each other. Gee, it took 16 chapters from Roy, but now he's happy. If you're happy, clank your chains! I mean, review! And thanks for reading!


	17. Cosworth Street 217 Part 01 Kissing, Kis...

EPISODE 04: Cosworth Street 217 Part 02: Kissing, Kissing that's What I've Been Missing!

EPISODE 04

"Easy, Roy, you're squeezing my internal organs out." He joked and the boy gave him a small laugh, letting go of him and quickly wiping his eyes. Link didn't know, maybe he had cried but it didn't matter. He took the redhead's hand and guided him to the bedroom.

When they lay there together, he noticed that Roy was shaking, probably because he was so nervous. He pressed him close to his comforting hug and kissed him on his forehead.

"Roy, I'll never do anything you don't want me to do."

"I know, Link, I know." He almost whispered.

"I love you." He stroke his flaming red hair. Roy gave him a small smile; he was still blushing a bit. The elf couldn't help the happy smile tugging at his lips, Roy was now _his. _He had come to him and asked him to sleep next to him, almost the same as 'I love you.' He propped himself up with his elbow, gazing at the boy, who was now looking at him with small confusion.

"What?" Roy finally broke the silence and woke the elf from his thoughts. "Is there something wrong with me?"

"I just can't believe it. This is so amazing."

The general raised his eyebrows.

"You… being here. I can't believe it that now you're mine. Now I don't need to feel guilty about kissing you, thinking what if you don't like it after all?"

The redhead smiled, then caressed Link's ear with his finger. "I… I…" Then he slipped his hand behind his neck and the elf got the hint, he wanted him to kiss him and he did so. And no kiss had ever felt so good, Roy wrapped his hands around him, ruffled his hair, explored his mouth in a totally different way than ever before.

Link held him close, not wanting to let go, but then he remembered that Roy was his now and that even if he let go he could always come back and kiss him and Roy wouldn't protest. He pulled away gently, seeing that he had left the general groping for more. Roy wasn't pulling him closer or anything, his eyes flickering open and closed, he just kept his mouth open waiting to be kissed again. Link didn't need to be encouraged.

He had no idea how late it was, he just held Roy as close as he could, stroking him and touching him and kissing him and looking at him and listening to him, there was no denying of it; he was obsessed. They had been talking and cuddling for god alone knew how long and neither one wanted to go to sleep in fear of losing the other.

Roy fell asleep first, the elf kept watching him sleep for a while, trying to close his eyes and sleep, but couldn't. He was too excited, too happy, too lucky to be on this mission with the redhead. He wanted to take Roy closer and squeeze him really hard and never let go of him, chain him to him and throw away the key.

"Good night." The elf gave him one final kiss before closing his eyes to drift to sleep again. But he still couldn't sleep. He just watched the redhead sleep in the dim, dim light of the room; the brown clouds filtered at least some light. At some point he couldn't hold himself back and put his hand on Roy warm side; the general snorted and a slight smile tugged at his lips.

The night slowly crawled towards morning, the brown light turned into the orange and red of a sunrise, the sun peeked over the horizon, shining happily light down to earth. Everything seemed to be fine.

Link woke up, feeling someone stroking his hair and body gently. For a moment he just enjoyed those feelings, the warm hand gliding down his body again… and again… and again… And he could feel a gentle and loving gaze on him, maybe gliding down his body along with the warm hand. He slowly opened his eyes, seeing directly into the general's sapphire-blue eyes. The redhead blushed slightly and pulled his hand away, avoiding his gaze by burying his face into the pillow.

Link only smiled, loving every second. He touched the boy's fiery hair, playing with a few strands as if he was a very precious doll and he would've wanted to braid his hair. After a while the general glanced at him, a little afraid, unsure of what to do, how to act, what to say.

"Morning." He said with a tender smile.

Roy couldn't help a smile spreading on his face, but the hidden fear was still in his eyes; he tried to hide it by closing his eyes and not looking directly at him, but he had stolen one glance and it had been enough. He wouldn't lose Roy now, he needed to be very careful not to agitate him or hint anything sexual.

Instead of words, now thinking of them as meaningless rubbish only used to entertain those bored, he put gently and arm around the redhead, tugging him closer, hinting that he wanted to have him near and that there was nothing to be afraid of. Roy came closer shyly, a blush spreading on his cheeks. Link only smiled gently when their eyes met and the general's blush deepened and he turned his gaze away.

Roy gasped as the phone rang. Link sighed frustratedly, he had just got the redhead as close as he wanted and already someone was trying to pull them away from each other. "They always call when you least expect, huh?"

"Y-yeah…" The general answered, smiling shyly and looking away from him.

"Hello?" He picked up the phone, but smiled at Roy at the same time. "Mm-hm. What time is it? Oh, god, really? Young Link! Hold your tongue! I'll be there in… in…" he looked at the general with a questioning look.

Roy shrugged, a little afraid of what was going on in the phone.

"In an hour. Yeah. Well, the buses… I have to walk…. a shower… breakfast… No! I'm not! Okay, bye." The elf put the phone back on its place. "He said I was making up excuses to be with you."

Roy blushed slightly and hung his head, trying to hide the rosy colour on his cheeks. "…Are you?"

"Yeah." Link lifted the general's head with a finger under his chin to look into his eyes. "…if you want me to."

Roy wouldn't answer, he tried to hung his head again to hide his deepening blush and the smile tugging at his lips, but Link wouldn't let him. Instead he cupped his head with his hands and admired him with a gentle, calming look in his eyes.

"S-shouldn't we get up?" Roy asked, trapped by Link, unable to escape his hugs, his kisses, his gaze.

"Yeah, maybe. I have to meet Young Link in an hour to take him to different interviews." The elf kissed his neck one final time before getting up and everything felt so cold suddenly. Roy wanted to get up and grab his waist and pull him back down, but couldn't force himself to do it.

Instead he got up as well and dressed. But although he hadn't pulled Link back to the bed with him he felt so happy that he wasn't sure did his feet even touch the ground. Maybe he was floating, he was so happy, his heart beat in his chest confidently, happily and his senses were smothered by the love he felt, every single cell of his body wanted to touch Link more, show him somehow he _loved_ and that he loved more than anyone.

"I think I'll go borrow some flour from our neighbours to find out what kind of people they are." He said as he entered the living room. "Today's my day off from school."

"You lazy bum, skipping school just like Young Link." Link said jokingly from the kitchen as he turned the water on, probably to make coffee.

"School was never my thing, especially not history." He continued. "Our teacher was a drunk."

"Probably a very educational person, was he?" Link asked a little absent-mindedly, his voice had still the playful tone in it.

"Of course. I learned to do Martinis and Cosmopolitans in his class and that was about it." Roy laughed at the memory.

Link was quiet for a long while, obviously in his thoughts. The general felt a little uneasy, he didn't know how to act with the elf now that he was his boyfriend. He had the feeling that Link was waiting for him to come over to him to the kitchen and hug him from the behind, which, indeed was a very tempting idea but he was too shy to actually do it. So he would settle with just staring at the floor, waiting for the elf to make the moves, he wouldn't say 'no' to him, he would let him do anything, anywhere, anytime.

"Hey, Roy, I bet you'd like to see this." The Hylian said from the kitchen and he snapped out of his thoughts, swallowing nervously as he walked next to the elf bending over the sink and Link put a hand around him immediately with a gentle smile: "Look, what's wrong with the water?"

"It's like… like there's something in it." The redhead said, narrowing his eyes to see better.

The Hero took a glass from the table. "I almost drank it." He put the glass under the flowing water and filled it. Then he showed the water to Roy.

"Hair?" He looked at them with confusion.

"Mm-hm. Gross, isn't it?"

"I think I'll buy our drinking water from now on." The redhead ascertained as Link put the glass down and pulled him close. He closed his eyes and sighed contently, wrapping his arms around the elf as well. He felt slightly embarrassed hugging a guy, a part of him still wanted to push him away, but more than that he wanted to keep him as close as he could.

"I'd give everything I have to keep you like this forever." Link said gently. He couldn't help the smile tugging at his lips.

"Shouldn't we get to work now?" He asked, wondering why he would do that when he enjoyed Link's company so much. Maybe the whole love made him feel uncertain and nervous and he wasn't quite ready yet.

"Am I making you feel bad?" The elf asked sincerely, looking directly into his eyes. He tried to say the truth that he really enjoyed being close to him, but it was all so sudden, although he wanted it more than anything, he was still scared. Instead of saying anything he just turned his gaze away, trying to smile, but couldn't. The elf didn't seem to mind, he just let go of him slowly, looking at him tenderly with a smile. "I have all the time in the world, Roy."

The redhead glanced at him quickly with a grateful look. "Link, I… I'm sorry. I just… it's… I… suddenly everything's… gone upside down. Just yesterday I thought that you still loved Marth although you… you said you didn't and… now it's just too hard to… to adjust…" He tried to sound confident, but somehow talking about them felt so embarrassing, he knew he was blushing and tried to avoid Link's gaze.

"Roy, don't rush yourself." The Hylian said encouragingly. "I'll be on my way then and… I guess I'll be back before three."

"Okay. I…" The general put a hand on his lover's shoulder, trying to look into his eyes, but every time he did his blush only deepened. "I… I'll-I'll miss you."

The Hero laughed heartily, embracing him in a strong hug. "I'll miss you too, Roy, I'll miss you too." And then they kissed a farewell kiss, holding each other firmly.

After the elf had gone, Roy couldn't help himself; he laughed and smiled in happiness, danced a little, jumped, hugged himself, unable of smothering the smile on his lips. He knew he was probably going crazy, but he didn't care because he was so happy.

The outburst of love died soon and he got control of himself. Still the smile just wouldn't disappear, no matter how he tried. He even hummed, which was very rare to him as he tried to find a bowl to use as and excuse getting to know their neighbours. Finally he found one and left to the corridor to ring everyone's doorbell.

Through all his happiness there was still one thought gnawing his heart, poking him with a dagger into the defenceless sides. Link was Marth's. And soon he would be his ex-boyfriend. That would mean that he was taboo to him. But before the thought brought him down he pushed the thoughts away. He had promised Link not to think about Marth while living at Cosworth Street 217 and he intended to keep that promise.

Strangely, no one opened their doors. He could hear televisions on in the apartments, sometimes people talking or steps, sometimes it even seemed as if the people were right behind their doors, pressing their heads against them and waiting for him to go away so that they could breathe again. That made him feel even more unsettling, walking around in the dirty hallways, his steps echoing on the naked floor. Somewhere in the hallway was water dripping, the sound of a single drop falling in a puddle echoed creepily, as if it was giving rhythm to some unholy silent symphony of hatred, sung deep inside the apartment building's walls.

Finally he had climbed all the stairs of the building and rung every single doorbell except one. As he pressed it, he already left slowly, knowing that no one would answer it anyway.

"Yes?" An old woman opened the door, only a little to see who had rung her doorbell. "Is it you, Danny?" She was probably over 70, round like a grandmother should, wearing an apron over her marine blue dress. Her face was round, filled with wrinkles of laughter with two almost white eyes, her hair was grey and curly, cut short.

Roy turned around, amazed that there was someone friendly in this building. "No, I'm sorry. I'm, umm… from apartment 39, do you have any flour?" He asked kindly.

"Oh, yes I do, Danny. Come on in, sweetheart." She said, opening the door completely.

"Actually, I'm Richie. Nice to meet you." He tried to shake her hand, but she was shuffling to her kitchen already to get him some flour. He followed her to her apartment, it was just as pattered as theirs, but she had very old furniture, thick carpets and long curtains, all warm colours, welcoming everyone. In the air was a sweet smell of cookies and buns, like in a bakery, mixed with the smell of the building's rotting walls.

"Sweetheart, it's very nice of you to visit me like this. I haven't seen you in a long time, dear." She said kindly as she returned with the flour and a tray full of buns and cookies.

The redhead realized that probably she would be happier if he just let her think of him as her sweet Danny, maybe she even knew something that was going on around here. "Thanks for the flour. I'm surprised no one answered the door when I rung their doorbells." He said.

"Oh, yes, the world has changed, my sweetheart. Back in my time people were friendly, but nowadays they all just avoid those they don't know." She said sadly. "Even the pigeons were fatter."

"Yeah, I know what you mean." Roy said sympathetically, not really agreeing with her, but knew that she would talk easier if he agreed and thought the same way.

"Ever since I came to this building, I've never seen anyone. It's as if the whole place's dead, but now it doesn't matter, Danny-honey, because you're here to make my loneliness go away." She said sweetly, smiling. "Take some cookies and buns, sweetheart, you're all skin and bone."

He took a bun, smiling to her and thanked for it. "Do you have any idea what could be going on here?"

"Oh dear, don't worry yourself with me. Have another bun."

"No, thanks, I--"

"Poor boy, you'll starve if you don't eat, honey." She explained sweetly, offering more buns and cookies. "Are you sure you don't want any?"

He took one more, thanking, feeling that he needed to do it because she had gone so much trouble baking them all.

"Sweetheart, I've been waiting for you to come for a long time." She cupped his cheek with one wrinkled hand, her sweet smile never dying. "I baked every day to have fresh buns for you, but you were away for so long."

"Oh, that's very nice of you, Mrs…?"

"Dear, just call me Granny." She corrected, hurrying to the kitchen to get more buns.

"Okay, Granny, have you ever heard any strange noises here?"

"Honey, at nights I've heard certain things, but you don't need to worry yourself with that." Granny returned from the kitchen, bringing another tray full of buns.

"What kind of things?" He asked curiously, taking another bun to please her.

"Sweetheart, at first I thought I was going crazy, I'm so old already that my ears aren't as good as yours, honey, but I think I've heard screams and laughter, not the nice kind of laughter." She said, watching him eat with a gentle smile.

He stopped eating for a while, wondering what could've caused these dead people to either scream or laugh. "That's very unpleasant, Granny." He answered and she gave him another smile that could replace sunshine.

"You don't need to worry for me, Danny-dear." She said. "I'm just glad you're here."

"Me too." He answered, amazed that she had been waiting so patiently for this Danny, baking every day. And … it could mean only one thing; that she loved Danny very much. Suddenly he wanted to meet this Danny and punch his nose to the same cavity with his brain.

He spent time with her until late afternoon, listening to her and paying attention to her like Danny should've. He thought that someone as sweet and caring as Granny needed someone to talk to, she was obviously very social yet no one visited her, so she had gone into her own dream world where she would be happy just baking and waiting for Danny to come. As he left with a plastic bag full of buns, he told her his address and promised to come back tomorrow to see her, he liked her very much and somehow felt responsible for her now.

As he entered his and Link's apartment, the elf was already there, worried where he had been. He told him about Granny and gave him the buns and the flour, excited with what had happened. The Hylian listened to him, never coming too close, acting as a friend which made him feel more relaxed.

"How was your day?" He asked, taking a step closer to his love, wanting to be held by him. As he touched his arm, Link turned to him and hugged him gently and he didn't feel nervous at all. Or maybe he did a little, but he smothered it by pressing closer to the warm embrace, listening to Link's calm voice:

"At first we went to Stürmer Elementary, but Young Link screwed up the whole interview. As the headmaster called us in to her office, Young Link refused to come because she looked scary. I spent fifteen minutes just assuring him that she won't eat him and he spoke so loudly about her… her appearance that when we finally got into the office she told us to leave." Link let Roy laugh. "Wasn't funny, though."

He kept a small break, just kissing the redhead's fiery hair. "And then we went to Mina Elementary. I liked the place a lot, it was a beautiful building and everyone was really nice; multicultural and open. _And _Young Link behaved himself; obviously he liked that school as well. We'll just have to wait for the headmaster's phone call."

"What about the final place?"

Link was quiet for a long time until he sighed. "The headmaster in Puolala Elementary was strict, the rules were very strict and I know they would've taught Young Link regularity and discipline, but I think that was too strict. And besides, the headmaster didn't seem to actually _care _about Young Link, he just asked me what _I_ want Young Link to be. I think that's wrong so I told him we'd think about it."

"Never going to call him?"

"You knew it." The elf answered, turning his face to his and kissing him. They kissed for a moment, holding each other close, enjoying each other's touch, feeling a warm body against each other made them feel so safe and protected. After a while Roy pulled away with a sad look on his face.

"But…" He started, knowing that he had promised not to talk about Marth, but the matter was gnawing his insides and he couldn't just let it be. "What about… about Marth?"

"Didn't we agree not to talk about him?" Link asked kindly, but he could hear the slight frustration in his voice.

"Yeah, but… but it's bothering me… because… because when you leave him you'll be his… his old boyfriend and taboo to me so… so I thought that… that we shouldn't…" He avoided the elf's gaze, afraid of his reaction.

"Would it matter?" The elf asked, but it was probably meant to be a rhetorical question.

"Of course it would!"

"Really?" The elf asked calmly. "Roy, do you believe in love at all?"

"Yes, but it doesn't have anything to do with this!"

"It has everything to do with this." Link embraced Roy gently, whispering: "Have you ever heard that love doesn't care about age, gender, friends, skin colour or what colour M&M's you like?"

The general pressed closer, closing his eyes with a painful expression on his face. "Yeah, but--"

"Still more buts?" Link asked jokingly, but he was clearly annoyed. "Okay, here's one more reason if the last one wasn't enough. You _were _first."

Roy's eyes widened in surprise; "What?"

"You were first. You've been mine for a year. You just never admitted it."

"Doesn't that mean I don--"

"I don't think you would've let me kiss you and come so close if you wouldn't have wanted me to?"

"No… I don't think I would've…" The redhead admitted.

"And aren't people who kiss and cuddle each other a couple?" Link asked.

Roy sighed. "Not always. "

"People who want to make love to each other?"

The general's eyes widened again in surprise and then he flared up. "I _haven't _wanted to make love to you!" He denied and tried to struggle free of the Hylian's grasp, but the elf wouldn't let him.

"Apart from every time you were drunk." He answered calmly.

Roy didn't answer in a long time. He sighed, hugging Link tighter. "A…and maybe some other times too."

And then there was a scream.

EPISODE 04 ( have to use this because for some odd reason my normal --- is censored!)

By the way, I went to Puolala Elementary. –laughs- And I hated it! HA! Wear your socks in the wrong feet, stupid teachers! Anyway, thanks for reading, your reviews mean a lot to me!


	18. Cosworth Street 217 Part 03 Sweet Like a...

**EPISODE 04 Cosworth Street 217 Part 03 Sweet Like a Chic-a-Cherry Cola**

They gasped, letting go of each other, immediately thinking that someone had seen and was now screaming because two guys kissing each other were gross. But it seemed like the scream had come from the hallway, a few floors down. They glanced at each other, guessing with their eyes that the dead building had come to life and swallowed yet another victim into its gloomy and dark walls.

Roy bolted for the door first, feeling that he had heard the voice before that had screamed, Link following right behind him. They got into the hallway and ran down the stairs, towards the direction where the scream had been.

As they got to the ground floor, they saw Granny unconscious on the floor and on the wall was a text written with red paint 'Silence.' The painter had used too much paint, maybe to create the effect of blood on the wall. Roy ran to Granny, trying her pulse and breathing immediately. Gladly she had just fainted, but it couldn't have been of natural causes because of the scream and the text on the wall.

Link took Granny in his arms and carried her to their apartment, putting her on the couch while Roy hid all the equipment from the headquarters. As the elf put her down on the couch, he frowned, wondering why anyone would want to hurt such a sweet lady and write 'Silence' on the wall. He caressed her wrinkled cheek with a sad smile on his face, hoping that they could solve the case before it would swallow any more victims.

Roy came to them with a glass of water; he had taken it from their water bottles, not from the tap because he didn't really trust the purity of it. After the hairs he had been pretty sure that any moment a finger could pop out of there into his glass and that wouldn't exactly tantalize his appetite.

"Here. I'll wake her up and stay here; you go to the hallway and take a few pictures or anything of that wall." He said gently to his lover, now sitting next to him like lovers should, almost reaching out for his lips, but decided not to. If Granny came to in the middle of their passionate kiss, she would probably scream and faint again.

"I love it when you order me around." Link said grinning mischievously, waggling his eyebrows and trailing his hand up his thigh. "Woof."

The general blushed bright red and he pushed the elf's hand away, looking at him shyly: "I wouldn't… if she comes to."

"Well, when I come back… then she's awake and goes to her apartment and you and I can…" The Hylian got up and walked to the corridor. "Woof."

Roy couldn't help laughing. Although he was still feeling uneasy about being with a guy, Link was so understanding. He kept trying to get closer and closer to the elf and… maybe he was. Roy had already admitted that he missed the Hero when he was gone, he had let him touch him and kiss him last night. And all those feelings that had passed his body and heart had felt so good, like he would've been kissed by the purest angels and touched by stimulating sirens. He smiled to the memory of Link's hands and lips, closing his eyes.

But yet again his mind hit his heart with an axe, screaming that Link was still with Marth and that he was cheating on him. Roy knew how wrong that was, he knew he should've just held himself back last night and not let Link kiss him until he had broken up with Marth, but he hadn't been able of doing that. He wanted the elf too much.

"Roy!" The elf ran back and he almost dropped the water glass as he heard the alarmed tone of his voice, waking up from his thoughts so suddenly.

"W-what?" He asked, placing the glass on the table.

"When I went back down, the wall had been cleaned!" The Hero said, confused. "And the janitor was there, standing in the corner with his mop and just looking at me. When I asked him where the text had disappeared, he just lit a cigarette, continuing his mopping."

Roy frowned, walking closer to his beloved. "There sure is something going on around here."

"Yeah… And besides, the water on his mop was red… Maybe he cleaned the wall before I went back down?"

The general looked at him with scared eyes and before saying anything more, he ran past the elf and closed the door. "That means he was destroying evidence!"

"Yeah, but it wasn't like he cared. It's not like anyone cares in this house of death."

"But we do! He was _destroying_ evidence! He was breaking the _law!_" Roy flared. The elf walked to him and embraced him gently, pressing his head against his chest.

"Remember that we're undercover here, Richie. If we start fussing about destroying evidence, they'll start suspecting something and then we might be the next ones to be 'silenced.'"

"I know… I just… I don't like this place." The boy admitted. "At first I thought that it would be great to spend a few weeks with you alone in an apartment with no one to disturb us, but now I wish this would be over already."

"Do you really?" The elf asked, looking now directly into his serious eyes. "If we never came here, you would've held your feelings back forever and all this…" He took a hold of his chin with his thumb and index finger and pulled him gently into a kiss. "…would've never happened."

Roy wouldn't answer. He just shrugged as if it wouldn't have mattered to him at all were they together or not, but Link knew that he meant more to the boy than anyone on Earth. He was just trying to act independent. The Hylian pulled him close again, this time kissing him fully on the mouth and quickly and passionately, a kiss he knew Roy wouldn't resist. And he didn't.

After that kiss Link had given Roy to calm him down and forget about the silent madness looming in the very structures of the building, they went to Granny and woke her up gently. She flinched as she saw them, her almost white eyes wide open, but then she recognised someone very familiar:

"Oh, Danny!" She said weakly, trying to sit up and hug Roy, but was too weak and lay down. "Oh, Danny, sweetheart, where am I?"

"You're in my apartment." The redhead said clearly. "What happened?"

"It isn't homely, dear." She sat up with the help of them both, looking around.

"We've been here only a day, Granny. What happened to you?" He asked again and decided not to ask anymore if she didn't answer now, maybe she didn't want to talk about it.

"I can bake you a welcome-cake!" She said enthusiastically, crossing her hands and smiling sweetly, trying to get up on her feet.

"Rest for a while now, Granny." The general wouldn't let her. "Here's my…" He stopped, not knowing what to call Link. He knew that Link was really his boyfriend and that he shouldn't lie to her, but it felt so embarrassing to love a guy. He couldn't just say:

'_This is my boyfriend, Link and I love him very much.'_

That would probably freak her out.

"I'm his boyfriend, Link." The elf said, shaking hands with her, noticing Roy's scared gaze on him and Granny, but the old woman didn't seem to care.

"I didn't know you had found yourself a fiancé, Danny." She said sweetly, cupping Link's cheek with her wrinkled hand. "A man, but a fiancé nonetheless."

"…Yeah, my fiancé indeed." He rolled his eyes and Link smiled at him mischievously. He knew the elf would've said something in that situation if they were alone, but Granny was there now.

"What time is it, dear Danny?" She asked, trying to narrow her eyes to see the clock. "I think it's very late and time for you and I both go to bed."

"It's eleven o'clock." Link said, helping her on her feet. "I'll take you to your apartment."

"Should she go?" Roy stopped them both with a worrying look on his face. "What if something happens to you?"

Granny looked at him with a slight confusion that soon melted into a smile. "Oh, it's very sweet of you to worry about me, Danny, but I'll be fine."

"But--"

"What if something _really _happens?"

"I can take care of myself, Danny-dear. I don't want to be a burden." She said, walking out of the apartment, Link helping her.

"I'm sure she'll be fine, Roy." The elf said upon seeing his worried expression. "She's a tough lady, aren't you, Granny?"

Granny laughed heartily. "Oh, how sweet of you to say that to an old woman."

When Link returned, he closed the door gently behind him, avoiding making any sounds. He could hear Roy in the bathroom, probably washing his face and teeth, getting ready for bed. He walked quietly to the bathroom and grabbed Roy from behind as the boy dried his face with a towel. Then he turned him to face him and kissed him on his lips slowly, holding his half-naked body against his, enjoying every second he could duel that tongue with his own because he knew that was all he'd get in a very long time. It would take Roy forever to let him make love to him if admitting his feelings took this long.

So instead of doing anything under his navel, he did everything, slowly at first, then a little faster… Then he pressed the boy against the wall and Roy flinched, feeling the cold Dutch tiles against his back, but forgot them in the kisses of the elf, all so fast that they made him yearn for more. He wrapped his arms around him tightly to keep him still even for a second to taste him better, to hold him closer and longer.

Finally Link let go of him and he realized how a blush coloured his cheeks bright red and he felt so empty when Link wasn't there. He leaned against the wall, watching his love taking off his shirt and washing his face and teeth as if nothing happened, admiring the way he could kiss a man and think nothing of it. Maybe he was just used to it or done it so many times, that the excitement had died and the embarrassment as well. He gently touched his muscular back with his fingers, gliding them down towards his sacrum, wanting to tell him how much he loved him, but it just felt impossible. The words were stuck in his throat and eventually he gave up, replacing them with:

"I'm going to bed."

"Mmpff." Link answered, the toothbrush in his mouth made his words a mess.

"Come soon." The boy said, feeling the redness on his face again and hid it by turning his gaze away and running to their bedroom, throwing himself on the bed. Then he got under the blanket and waited for Link to come and warm the whole bed and take away the loneliness. He smiled at the ceiling, wanting to cry and laugh at the same time, the happiness was so sudden. And the wait was so long.

When Link came a few minutes later, Roy snuggled close to him like he was honey and he a bee and couldn't stay away from him. The elf understood him very well, he felt the same, somehow he just couldn't get enough of Roy, he couldn't let go of him. He wrapped his arms tightly around him, feeling how the boy answered his hug and smiled against his neck, and he was happy.

"Tomorrow, tomorrow I'll tell Marth…" He said calmly to the redhead. "Tomorrow you'll be my only one."

Roy snuggled closer, nuzzling his nose to his neck before falling asleep.

The morning came as it comes after every night and the sun shone into the bedroom where the two slept, holding each other close like small children hang to their mothers. The sky was cloudless, orange before the bright flaming sun came above the horizon, letting its rays touch the city like tender hands shaking someone awake.

Link woke up, seeing Roy still asleep in his arms, breathing calmly and slowly. He caressed his red hair, hoping that he would wake up, glance at him and turn bright red. Somehow he loved the shyness of the redhead, but at times it was driving him crazy. It had taken Roy a year to first realize his feelings and then tell him about them, not directly, but he had understood.

He knew it was getting late and that their 'schoolday' had started a few hours ago, but he just didn't have the heart to break Roy's dream, instead he turned the clock around so that he couldn't see it and focused on the redhead who had obsessed him so completely. He ran a finger through his hair, playing with it, knowing that it was all his. He wouldn't need to fight for it anymore, the boy was right there in his arms and he would stay there too.

_Unless, _His subconscious reminded. _Unless his girlfriend gets in the way of you two. _

He shook his head, Roy loved him, not his girlfriend. If he loved her, he wouldn't have kissed him or confessed his feelings to him in the first place. He just needed to break up with her.

After a few moments Roy woke up and yawned, stretching. The elf watched him gently with a smile on his lips and when he snuggled closer, he let him, actually he pulled him closer.

Link left before noon, leaving Roy alone in the apartment that felt oppressing, the memory of last night was clear on his mind and a worry of Granny as well. He decided to go to her, but when he was leaving through the door the phone rang as if the house would've known that he wanted to leave the oppressing apartment and made the phone ring right when he was about to go.

"Hello?" He answered.

"Hi, Roy!" It was Peach, her high-pitched voice made him almost feel sick. "You haven't called!" She accused.

"Well, I thought we were through." He said simply.

"What? _Us? _Through? How come no one's told me?" She got mad.

"I told you once and I thought it was enough." He answered, calmly.

"You said we _might _be through, you didn't say we _are _through." Peach corrected. "And I can't believe you're leaving me! Have you found someone with a better body? More beautiful than me?"

"No, I just don't love you anymore, that's all." He hung up the phone, knowing that if he hadn't done it, she would've gone crazy on him and he would've lost his temper and… It wouldn't have resulted anything good.

He left the apartment in a hurry, fearing that Peach would call again and scream and shout because he had hung up on her. He walked to Granny's apartment's door and knocked. There was a long silence, the house was silent as well, waiting for Granny to open her door. The general knocked again anxiously, wanting her to open right now, thoughts of her being dead running in his head. What if the house and it's odd tenants had 'silenced' her last night after all?

When she opened, he let out a relieved sigh. She had just been sleeping, this time she hadn't baked any buns for him, but started when he entered, talkative as a parrot.

As the evening came, Roy returned from Granny, carrying yet another bag of buns with him. He was a little surprised that Link wasn't already there, but thought about what he had said last night about breaking up with Marth and thought that maybe breaking up with him hadn't been so easy _either. _

He didn't know that the elf had only just got to their apartment after careful planning.

"Marth…" Link walked to the noble, he had called him earlier to meet him and now he thought about running away from confessing, he couldn't just come to him and leave him, especially not now that he and Roy actually _lived_ together, in the same apartment, it would all be way too obvious. But then again… he had promised Roy to do it. And if he loved Roy he would break up with Marth now and they would be over. And he had been planning how to do it gently the whole day and his plan was flawless. Almost.

"Oh, Link", the noble greeted him, he closed the curtains as the night became darker. Young Link passed the kitchen to the bathroom and the silent sound of an electric toothbrush could be heard. "I was actually waiting for you to come."

"Has he been of any trouble?" The elf asked, referring to his younger self, running from the situation. He took the cup of coffee Marth offered and sat down with him round the table.

"No, he's been like an angel. Well, apart from the neighbour's cat… but that could've happened to anyone."

Link blinked. Young Link and a cat and the pause Marth had kept made his heart beat faster. "_What_ happened?"

"Well, Young Link was bored one day, according to him", the prince started, avoiding his gaze. "And then he noticed that the neighbour's cat that's always out was pretty dirty and needed cleaning."

"Oh, _God._" The elf said, holding his head with his hands.

"He took a washbasin and filled it with water. Then he poured it down our window, forgetting that there are sometimes flowers growing right under it and most of the water hit the downstairs neighbour's flowerbox."

"Oh, no."

"That's not all. The flowerbox fell down, ripping the flowerbox under it with it and, lucky for the cat, landed beside it. The cat of course got scared and climbed to the tree and… well, see for yourself." The prince opened the kitchen curtains, showing a tree branch and a very mad cat.

"I'll kill him."

"It could've happened to anyone." Marth explained.

"No, it couldn't have. It happened to him." The elf said. "Just send me any bills and I'll take care of them."

"I already took care of them." The noble said cheerfully, flashing him a smile that died way too soon enough. He became as serious as if he had seen the Reaper himself and Link felt highly uncomfortable. Maybe now was his chance to break up with him, but he had just paid for Young Link's foolishness… He had paid like the two of them were married and both had responsibility of the child.

"Marth, I…" He started, but his younger self cut him off as he came from the bathroom, wiping his mouth with a towel.

"I'm going to bed! Good night, biggie and Marth!" He jumped off to his room, leaving the two of them to the silent kitchen, the clock ticking its own rhythm on the wall.

"G'night." They answered, smiling at him a tender smile. After he closed the door, they both became serious again. Before Link could try again, Marth sat down with a sad expression on his face and took his hands in his owns, pressing them gently.

"Link… I have seen the two of you together." He said calmly, his eyes locked on their hands.

The elf's eyes widened. The noble couldn't have seen their kisses and hugs, he had never been there, they had always made sure of it! Always!

"And at first I tried to… tried to think of it as friendship, knowing that you and I were a couple, but it was just too obvious." He continued, pressing his hands tenderly, but slightly harder. "And I don't mean that you've cheated on me, no, but I just… I just have the feeling that although you _have_ love in your heart, Link..."

"I…" He didn't know what to say. How ironical it was. His own plan almost mocked him. He had planned the whole day for this moment and now, Marth was breaking up with him.

"… I feel that your love isn't meant for me. As much as I would want it to be, I can't make your heart love me against its will. And so… I have to let you go." He said, his eyes finally fixing on Link's and he smiled encouragingly. The elf just stared at him, dumbstruck, because he had planned, he had practiced, and now it had just been used against him and he didn't feel bad at all. He was relieved, or maybe even more than that. He was happy and he wanted to kiss and hug Marth for letting him go, because he loved Roy and Roy loved him and together they were so much happier than what he could've ever been with the noble.

"I understand." He answered and got up to hug Marth one final time. The noble answered the hug, but somehow it felt so cold, his hands were like ice on his skin.

They spoke for a while after that, Link hiding the happiness he was feeling and Marth hiding the sadness he was feeling, but he knew he would get over it, it would just take time like all wounds. And he had made a favour, he had set the elf free and available for the one the Hylian loved so much he could've died for him. Too bad it just happened to be Roy. He knew he could never compete with Roy because Roy and Link weren't whole without each other, they were somehow… empty.

As the elf left, he told him not to worry about him and Young Link, because they had managed just fine until now and would probably manage the whole time without any problems. Link reminded him that Young Link had been there only a day and caused a minor catastrophe with the neighbour's cat, but Marth only laughed at that.

A few weeks passed, nothing happened. Link and Roy became closer to each other, getting used to being a couple, or almost. Link would go to 'school' every day and Roy sometimes, but mostly he spent his time with Granny or snooping around the building, trying to get into contact with the other tenants, but no one opened their doors.

At nights they could hear someone coughing loudly, sometimes they heard a scream, but before they could trace it down to a door, it was gone and the house was empty, only the sound of the water dripping quietly to the sink boomed in the night.

Also, Peach had called Roy more and more often, first threatening him to come back to her, then asking him and finally begging him to come back and not leave her. But he was in love with Link and he couldn't care less about the princess of Mushroom Kingdom, he had something better.

Now they were eating dinner round the table quietly, enjoying the meal. But the creepiness of the house was getting into them, it made them both jumpy and nervous, but at least there were two of them, they could always find serenity and solace in each others arms.

"When will anything happen here?" Roy finally asked, breaking the silence and Link lifted his gaze from his plate to look into the general's eyes.

"I wish I knew. If I could I'd make it happen right now and arrest everyone here and burn this building down." The Hylian answered.

"And after that we'll leave?"

"Yeah, that's a good thing, isn't it?" The Hero saw the mix of joy and sadness in the general's eyes. "What is it?"

"When we leave this place… We'll see each other… less." Roy's cheeks reddened only a little, if he wouldn't have known the boy he wouldn't have noticed the blush.

Link rolled spaghetti around his fork like an artist. "We can move together."

"Yeah…" Roy focused on his food again.

After a while of silence a thought came to Link; he lifted his gaze from his meal and said: "Roy, would you like to make love to me?"

The general's fork fell on his plate, for a moment he seemed to have stopped completely. "…Come again?"

"Would you like to make love to me?" The Hero asked as if he would've been asking were they out of milk. He continued to eat calmly as if Roy wouldn't have been frozen by the question.

"I…" The redhead tried to say something, but it was all too hard. Finally he gave up and focused on his meal intensely, hoping that Link would let the matter drop. It wasn't that he didn't want Link, he did and he had many times seen a dream of the two of them, making love and sometimes when Link had kissed his neck from the behind he had hoped that he wouldn't have been so shy and that he would've said: 'I want you.' He knew he would need to show Link that he wanted him someway, but by words… he knew he'd suffocate in his own shyness before he even started. Then he sighed, making Link smile.

The elf knew that to Roy it was harder than to anyone to say his feelings or show them in any way and he had been doing his best, he had told him he missed him and let him kiss him, but all that just lead to one thing; the more Link had him, the more he wanted him in fear of losing him.

Finally the Hylian got up and stuck out his hand, waiting for Roy to grab it. His expression was calm and gentle, like he knew all the thoughts running in Roy's head as he looked into his eyes and the general felt relaxed and so safe, but he was still, deep down, afraid. He had been with women, but never with men. And although he wanted Link, he had no idea how the elf wanted him to show it.

Also he knew that if they made love, the bond they shared would strengthen…. Was he able of handling the thought of being completely and utterly Link's, having made love to him and _enjoyed _it? He still felt uneasy with their relationship sometimes, but would making love with Link make it easier or would it make him feel worse, like when he had realized he enjoyed being with Link? He wasn't sure what he should do, should he let go and be guided by the one he loved or should he listen to his senses and keep his distance, a safe distance when his thoughts and his soul was still only his, not theirs?

While the thought was scary, it was still tempting. His heart really wanted to be one with Link and able of understanding his every move, finishing his sentences; being a part of him. But it was also scary, because when he would be a part of Link, Link would be a part of him and he would need to know him and he wouldn't be able of closing himself from him.

He smothered his mind, staring emptily into the elf's eyes who was still standing there, offering his hand, now his smile was gone and his eyes were worried, maybe he wasn't sure he should've asked it in the first place. He looked at the hand, afraid of what might become. Then he fixed his unsure eyes on Link's and the Hylian's lips melted into an encouraging smile, safe and caring.

And he smiled back, giving his hand to Link. Now was the time of being happy and enjoying the moments they had, now he shouldn't listen to his senses. Without them he would've been Link's so much earlier. The elf pulled him on his feet, after him to the bedroom, grinning mischievously. He blushed and looked away, but couldn't help the smile on his face as he followed him.

That night there weren't any screams. Only moans of pleasure as the souls of an elf and a human merged.

**EPISODE 04 Cosworth Street 217 Part 03 Sweet Like a Chic-a-Cherry Cola**

And there was much rejoicing!

It's been a long while since I wrote author's notes the last time. Dark usually takes care of them. Anyway, I'm here to inform you about two new comedies, Pocahontas and The Hunchback of Notre Fre--Dame. I'll upload them when I upload them if I upload them. And while at it, I might as well advertise my Link/Roy fic. Please read 410n3 if you like Link/Roy goodness with a mean bitch called Peach and a Gerudo who likes boys… yeah.

Thanks for reading!


	19. Cosworth Street 217 Part 04 Killing Me S...

**EPISODE 04: Cosworth Street 217 Part 04 Killing Me Softly**

"Let's go, let's go, let's go already!" The tiny elf jumped around the apartment, excited like a child getting a puppy. It was his first day at a new school and he had all the reasons to be excited and nervous about it. He just showed it with energy, so much energy that the noble thought that he would just fall asleep at some point after using all his energy so fast.

"Easy, easy…" Marth said holding his coffee cup calmly, reading the paper.

"It's already 7:30! I'll be late!" The tiny elf took a hold of the table and shook it, jumping up and down. Marth lifted his gaze from the paper, smiled kindly and said:

"It takes ten minutes to walk to your school from here and I'm taking you in the car. There's no need to leave yet."

"But-but-but what if something happens and I'm late?" Young Link asked worriedly, still shaking the table.

"Nothing will. Now go wash your teeth." The noble said calmly, focusing on the newspaper again. He chuckled as the small elf left running to the bathroom, finishing his coffee. Then he walked to his room and took all the things he needed at work today, returning to the living room to take his jacket before leaving. There he bumped to the small elf again, who repeated 'let's go' all the time enthusiastically, unable to stay still.

Finally he decided to leave early; he just couldn't hold the young elf still or quiet. As he closed the door to his and Roy's apartment and turned around to walk down the stairs, he could hear Young Link running them down somewhere below. With a sigh he started to walk after him, a gentle smile on his lips.

As he came down, the small blonde was almost dying with boredom, jumping, running in the hall, calling for him and tapping the floor with his boots. He ruffled his hair and laughed, it was amazing how much Young Link had energy. Before he even got out, the young elf had run before him to the car and was trying to open the door, still jumping in excitement. He couldn't help laughing out loud as he opened the doors and the little blonde climbed to the front seat, never stopping jumping. The whole car swayed as he jumped in the seat, his seatbelt fastened and a bright smile on his face.

"Come on, come on, come on, Marth!" He shouted. The noble got into the car and started it, telling the little one how they were still early and that he would need to wait outside for a teacher to let him in. But Young Link didn't seem to care, he just jumped in the seat, excited of his first day of school in a new school.

Marth drove to the school, continuously telling the small blonde that no, he couldn't drive any faster because of the speed limits. And he couldn't turn left from here, because it was restricted to drive a one-way street the other way. And he couldn't buy an interceptor to destroy all the other cars and POW! BOOM! CRASH! everything, because then Young Link would need to walk to school because he'd be in prison.

After a long wait for Young Link, Marth pulled over on the bus stop, letting him jump off:

"Have a nice day." He said politely. The small elf laughed.

"Yeah! You too, Marthy! See you later!" He said, closing the door and running towards his new school of Mina Elementary. It was a nice building, rather large, but homely-looking and big-windowed, there was a huge yard full of all kinds of entertainment for the kids such as swings, a basketball field… it was the perfect place for Young Link. Marth smiled after the boy, pulling back to the traffic and continuing to work.

Roy woke up next to Link, smiling. He hadn't felt so good in ages. All he wanted to do was to pull Link closer and hug him, kiss him and repeat all the things they had done last night. He put his hand on Link's warm side and began stroking it, gliding his hand up and down his side, the side that was now his.

As he lay there, he thought about the elf, how he had been so understanding and slow, every time he had told him to be more gentle or that it hurt too much, the Hylian had stopped for a long time, only kissing him, calming him down.

And then the feelings… all those feelings that had ran through his spine, all those touches, those kisses that had been placed on his body, it had all felt so… so divine. Somehow all that had made him love Link so much more and from so many different angles that it made his head spin. He had never thought he would love something as much as he loved the elf.

He took the elf's hand and kissed the palm of it tenderly, feeling the warmth on his lips. Then he put it over him and snuggled closer to his beloved, wanting to be held, wanting to wake him up to kiss him and to know that he was his now, now he would force the three words out to the one who deserved them. Link had patiently waited for a year for him, now was time to make it up to him by being like water with him. The elf was cold water, with a gentle and refreshing, energizing touch and the redhead was like hot water, burning, unsettling, bubbling like mad… but as the waters are poured to the same cup, they blend together, the cool one calming the hot one and the hot one warming the cold one. And no one could tell them apart from each other anymore.

He closed his eyes, reminiscing what had happened last night, trying to revive the feelings he had felt in his body, his heart and his mind, all that had made him explode inside like a supernova, expanding the limits of his love and he still felt how his feelings only expanded like space itself, forever growing. And he let himself remember, caressing the Hero's side gently, sometimes pressing a little harder to make the memory more vivid.

He remembered how Link had guided him to the bedroom, smiling at him mischievously like a kid with a cunning plan to play a prank on his mother. He had pulled him close, embraced him roughly biting his lower lip as if he would've been thinking of what to do with a new toy. After a while he had made him lay on his back on the bed that now didn't feel lumpy or bad at all, climbing slowly on top if him and his breathing had sped up, although he had tried to stay calm. As the elf had been there, on top of him, propping himself up with his hands, he had put his hands on his chest, ready to push him away, because he was _too _close. But although he was too close, he was trapped under him, he didn't want him to go away. Instead he wanted him closer. After a long while of silence and gentle gazing the elf had only brushed his lips with his owns in the dim light of the room, creating the first wave of pleasure in his sacrum.

Then he had groped for a kiss, trying to reach the elf's lips, but Link teased him, avoiding his lips. He tried to get up, but the elf held him down from his shoulders, enjoying the way he struggled for a kiss. Sometimes he let his lips touch his, but not even for a second, enough to tingle, but not enough to satisfy.

"Link…" He had called, his eyes half-open, pleading for a kiss. Link had first ran his nose from his neck to his ear, making quiet sounds of pleasure, pressing his body closer, letting him struggle for a kiss. Maybe he had done that to make him forget his shyness and give in to the pleasure and he had, for a while forgotten it all, all those thoughts his senses had tried to feed him even after he and Link had got together and he had really wanted him there.

When the elf had finally pressed his lips on his and let go of his shoulders to cup his head with his hands, he had wrapped his arms around him to pull him closer and devour him, duel him, hold him there until the sun wouldn't shine anymore.

It got darker and darker outside, it seemed as the building itself would've gone to sleep, snoring quietly somewhere deep down in it's heart, the boiler room somewhere underground. In the silence the sounds they made felt so much louder, they were filled with emotions and now that he thought of it, it had seemed like everything had stopped to let them make love in peace. He hadn't even heard the clock beating its steady rhythm on the wall, it had been quiet, respecting them.

When Link had touched the button of his jeans, he had gasped and tried to jerk away, looking at him a little afraid. He had felt how the blush had spread on his face and how it had deepened when their gazes had met, afraid of Link's reaction he had turned his face away, acting like nothing had happened. From the corner of his eye he had seen the smile on the elf's face and after it, the wetness of his soft lips on his neck. He had let a moan escape his lips, pressing the Hylian's head closer, burying his fingers into it.

And they had been so close, he had felt every movement of the Hero on top of him and still he had wanted to have him even closer. He had pressed him tighter against himself, exploring his mouth, gliding his hands up and down his body, surveying him. When Link had run his tongue from his collarbone to his ear gently, he hadn't been able to help gasping in pleasure. Then he pressed his nose against his and Link smiled mischievously.

"Ready?"

He had forced himself to look into the elf's cerulean eyes. "I… I…" He had tried to say that he loved the elf and was ready to do anything with him, but his shyness had hit him again, tying his throat with a rope that blocked his speech. "…Yes."

Before he got to reminisce any further, the phone rang in the living room like a death bell.

He got up as the elf opened his eyes slowly and walked to the phone to the living room, putting on his boxers, wondering why he had thought of a death bell as the phone had rung, but dismissed the thought as he lifted the receiver, saying:

"Hello?" Link heard him say and closed his eyes again. He was too tired to get up yet, it was probably very late already, but his eyelids just felt too heavy. They drew each other closer, closer… until he closed them and felt the sweet arms of sleep touching him already to take him to the land of dreams.

"Impossible." He heard Roy say, the boy's voice sounded nervous and scared, like he was trying to deny something very badly. He frowned, grunted and sat up, yawning. Although the sleep's grip around him was strong, he knew something was going on in the phone and he wanted to know what it was.

"No!" The general said desperately like a dying swan's final cry, trying to be defiant but couldn't. Link put his boxers on and walked to the living room, thoughts running through his mind of all the possible things that could've happened. He could see the general's face, it was white as snow, his eyes were scared and desperate. The elf frowned and walked closer to hear what was going on. But before he got close enough to hear, Roy hung up the phone and walked unemotionally past him to the bedroom to get his clothes.

"What? What's wrong?" He asked worriedly.

"…Nothing." The general answered with delay, shaking his head as he quickly dressed up. When he tried to walk past him to the living room to get his jacket before leaving, the elf stopped him by grabbing his shoulders and forcing him to look into his eyes. He struggled free with a defiant expression on his face, but the elf wouldn't let go. "_What's wrong?_" He asked.

"Nothing. Let go of me."

"Who was on the phone?"

"No one. Let me go!" The redhead pushed him away, avoiding his gaze. Link knew that now Roy wouldn't talk, no matter what he said. So he let go of him, sighing. The redhead walked to the door quickly, grabbing his jacket on the way and left, closing the door to the corridor with a bang.

The Hylian stood there alone in the living room, looking at the closed door with empty eyes. He had thought that Roy would've been his completely after they would've made love, he would come to him and he wouldn't be so shy anymore, but… but he had run away. He turned his gaze to the phone, looking at it with a pained expression, maybe Roy had left because of it. Or then both him and the phone had caused it. Maybe the boy had freaked out after they had made love, someone had called him to meet, maybe it had been Marth or Granny and that had been the final blow; he had somehow thought of himself as impure and wanted to run away from Link.

He sighed, shuffling to the kitchen to have a cup of coffee to calm down and take his mind off Roy, but couldn't. The expression on the boy's face, the fear and the despair he had seen in his eyes had burned into his mind, gnawing his heart. He leaned his head against the kitchen cupboard, looking down into the sink thoughtlessly, his eyes closed, breathing calmly to convince himself that Roy still loved him.

"God, I love you, Roy. Don't leave me now." He told the sink, opening his eyes and turning the water on. It reminded him of the shower he had had when the water had turned to sticky yellow liquid that had smelt a little like bile, and persuaded him to take the water to make coffee from the bottles.

As he sat on the couch to read the day's newspaper, he thought about last night, wondering had he done something wrong. He had just held him close, listening to him trying to collect himself. Roy had just given everything he had to Link, he had let him come closest, taking off his deepest defences and giving him all he had. He had probably been afraid, he had probably been nervous and worried and then he had probably been afraid of losing him, thinking: what if Link doesn't like me anymore? He had kissed the general sweetly on his collarbone, nuzzling his nose to his neck.

It had taken him a while to realise that aside the tears that flowed down the boy's cheeks, he was hiccupping slightly. Probably the pain had made him breathe faster, confusing his diaphragm. He had wanted to look at him and talk to him eye to eye, but hadn't been able look into his eyes; he knew how Roy felt about letting others see him crying.

Link had felt the need to show him that he cared still, that nothing could ever come between the two of them. They had made a bond which neither one of them would ever forget, they would somehow be linked eternally. Maybe that was one feeling Roy was afraid as well. Link had pressed him closer, whispering:

"I love you, you know that?"

"…Uh-huh." The boy had nodded, trying to laugh a little but hiccupped, letting out a weird squeak-like sound.

He had stroke his back. "Want to sleep now?"

"Y-yeah."

Nope, he couldn't think of anything he could've said. He had only told him he loved him and that was just normal. He told that to him every day, it couldn't have been that. So it had to be the phone. It had probably been Marth, having some problems with their apartment. Maybe some huge problems. He realized that if something had happened there, it had affected Young Link as well and felt how the sharp-nailed claw of fear clenched his guts. He took the phone and called, but no one answered. He tried again, still no one answered.

Link got up and ran to their bedroom, dressed up as quickly as he could and ran to the door, but then he realized that he had only assumed that something had happened. He couldn't be sure; actually, he couldn't say anything. It could be that Marth had gone to work and Young Link to his new school.

He returned to the couch, sighing heavily. He would need to empty his mind and wait for Roy to get back to hear what had happened. _If _he was coming back. But after leaving so suddenly, he was pretty sure that the redhead wouldn't come back tonight unless he had to. He knew he couldn't just stay there and wait for him, minute after minute, hour after hour, he would go crazy looking at the clock all the time. He needed to get out and have something to do for the whole day, something that would take his mind off Roy.

He decided to go get some groceries and visit home and the S.F.B.I. headquarters, he had probably received tons of mail and the boss was probably waiting for some kind of a report because they were taking so long. But nothing had happened while they had lived in Cosworth Street 217. Only a few screams now and then… and they had got together… but boss didn't need to know that.

Link arrived to the headquarters at around noon and walked to the boss's office, telling the secretary that he would like to meet their boss to give a spoken report of everything that had happened so far. She smiled at him gently and told him to go in. He got into the office which was huge, the furniture was all made of oak, an expensive carpet covered the floor almost completely. In the end of the room was a large desk and behind it sat their boss, above him on the wall was the picture of the founder of the S.F.B.I, gazing down at those in the room with a solemn expression.

"Hello, Link."

The elf stood by the door, looking at him with respect: "Hello, boss. I've just come to tell you that the investigations at Cosworth Street 217 aren't proceeding. We can't arrest anyone, we don't have enough evidence."

"But you're sure that something's going on there?" The boss asked.

"Well, some strange things have happened. The water had hairs in it once and at nights there have been screams. Once an old lady fainted in the corridor and 'silence' was written on the wall. After we carried her to our apartment and I went back to examine the text, the janitor had cleaned it up."

"You could've arrested him for destroying evidence." The boss said calmly.

"We couldn't say it for sure, so we let him go." The elf admitted sheepishly. "I thought it would be better if we could arrest them for doing something more serious than that. If he had been tried for destroying evidence, he would've spent maybe two weeks in prison and then returned to that building. It would've only been a warning and they could've continued whatever they're doing in peace."

"You're right. I think you two should do something to tick them off to make something happen soon. I can't wait for much longer, your investigation funds are going to end soon and you'll have to get out of there."

"What should we do?" The Hylian asked, raising his eyebrows, he had no idea how they could wake these people from the dead.

"Something that's everything but 'silent.'" The boss said with a mischievous smile. "They might forgive you for a few times, but just keep going, I'm sure they'll first warn you and then attack. Ask for two handguns from the arsenal."

"Okay." He nodded and thanked for the advice before he left. Boss nodded at him kindly as well, turning his gaze back to the paperwork he was doing, dismissing him.

He walked past the smiling secretary who wished him a good afternoon, smiling back at her, wishing the same. She smiled even wider hearing that, maybe most people didn't bother to answer her or then they just glared at her.

He got the guns from the arsenal and went to his apartment, where indeed was a huge pile of mail waiting for him. Without letting his thoughts glide to Roy, he started to read them. There were letters from his friends from Kokiri Forest, bills, magazines, bills, newspapers and even more bills. Although he tried not to think about Roy, it seemed that every letter beginning with a capital r read Roy.

Suddenly the phone rang and he flinched, dropping the letter he was holding. Then a thought of Roy calling made him bolt for the phone and he answered it before it had even rung twice, asking worriedly:

"Hello?"

"Link!" He recognized Roy's voice; it was a bit surprised, maybe because he had answered so quickly. There was also a hint of sadness in his voice and Link feared for the worst.

He held tightly to the phone, holding it with both hands. "Roy, where've you been?"

"Link… we can't go on… We have to break up." The redhead said quickly.

"What?" The Hylian answered with a scared tone, he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"…I'm sorry, but I …have to… leave you." The general said , the sadness in his voice was clear now.

"What? Why? What happened?" He asked the questions in one mess.

"It's… it's just too hard… I… You… We just… it's just too hard."

Link frowned. Roy was lying. But why would he lie? What _had _happened? What could be so horrible that he was lying to the person he loved and left him? He knew Roy was shy with his feelings, but this was deeper. "Roy, what happened?"

The general wouldn't answer. It seemed that he was thinking very hard.

"Roy, tell me _what _happened!" He commanded, he couldn't stay calm anymore. After that he could hear how Roy gasped and calmed himself down, asking the same with a calm and tender voice, apologizing.

"I… I just told you… It's just too hard… Link, I have to go…" He could hear a voice on the background, a woman's voice. It made it all even more peculiar. He wanted to know more and more what had happened and he would squeeze it out of him sooner or later.

"Can we meet? Are you coming home tonight?" The Hylian asked desperately.

"I…"

"Please… Roy, I miss you." He said appealingly, knowing that even though the redhead acted like feelings didn't matter to him, he had a soft spot just like anyone else and 'I miss you' was a bull's-eye. He closed up against 'I love you' but 'I miss you' wasn't as direct and he had admitted to Link that he had missed him as well.

"I… I'll see you later then." The general said before hanging up the phone and he let himself fall on the couch, sighing. It was all so difficult. Hopefully he could turn Roy's head; otherwise he knew he would probably break like a porcelain doll. He had _had _Roy, he had thought that nothing could take them apart, but then the damned phone had rung.

What made him wonder even more was the way Roy had said he had to leave him. Why did he say 'had'? Why hadn't he just said: 'I leave you?' He stared at the letters on his table, wondering so much that his head stated to ache and went to get some aspirin to make it stop.

He went home at around nine, carrying two pizzas with him, wondering would Roy be there already. He had been going crazy after Roy's phone call, wondering what had made him regret their relationship so much although he loved him. No matter what he had done, his thoughts had been on Roy, he had been able to hear his words in his mind through the whole day and they hurt and he wanted to cry. But maybe there was hope; maybe he could turn Roy's head.

But when he opened the door, the apartment was empty. The air was cold, but fresh, they had probably left a window open accidentally. He put the warm pizzas on the table, checking every room, but all the windows were closed. Then he thought that maybe the heating was broken. He would check on the heating room after speaking with Roy, right now he knew he couldn't concentrate on anything, having his thoughts on Roy all the time.

So instead he put a warm pullover on and started eating his pizza, he wouldn't let his food get cold because of Roy. The boy could eat when he came home. It seemed that although he ate, he was still empty. He had a weird feeling that if someone would pat him on the back it would echo inside him.

At around midnight the general came and looked more than miserable. His face was so sad, his eyes were like an ocean of pain. He wouldn't even stand straight. He just came in and closer the door behind him, then looked at Link guiltily under his eyebrows. When the elf smiled relievedly, happy to see him, he just looked away, his painful expression only growing more painful.

Link walked to him, embracing him and whispering:

"I missed you so much."

Roy tried to say something, but his words were replaced by a weak sob against Link's pullover. The Hylian feared the worst as he held him, but tried not to show it, instead he acted as if they were friends. He didn't kiss him or caress him, he just held him and let him collect himself in peace.

"Link, I…" The boy tried again, clinging to him tightly. "I can't… We have to break… break up." But his words didn't sound like he wanted them to break up at all. They were the opposite of it, they were desperate, like he had been forced to do this against his own will. And he held his pullover tightly, his fists clenched and almost white for pressing so hard.

"…Why?" He asked, staring at the ground emptily. Why was Roy doing this? Who was controlling him like a puppet?

"Why…?" It seemed that Roy was asking himself more than confirming Link's question. He was so lost, he was afraid and sad, it had all happened so quickly, he and Link had made love and then... then this had happened, turning his life upside down. "Because… because…" he was obviously searching for a way to say it.

Roy knew that he couldn't hide it from Link, he had to come clean with him and tell him what he had decided during the day, no matter how much it would hurt. He knew he loved him, but he had been stupid and he had responsibilities because of that and he couldn't neglect them. And there wasn't any other way to take care of his responsibilities than leaving Link, it was the first thing he needed to fix in his life now, then he would buy a house and a dog and... and he wanted to cry, because he didn't want any of that. "We just have to end this…"

"End what? Roy, you can't just stop loving someone." The elf said, finally caressing his back and reflexively he pressed closer. Letting out a sob, burying his face deeper into Link's warm chest.

He was quiet for a long time, enjoying the final moments Link was still his. "We have to… My ... my girlfriend was on ...the phone in the m-morning." He said sadly.

"What? What's wrong?" The elf acted patient, but inside he was boiling, he didn't know should he shake the answer out of his boyfriend or give him time, he was too anxious to know. He closed his eyes tightly, pressing Roy against him, hoping that the boy would take that all back or tell him to wake up from this never-ending nightmare.

"…She's...She's pregnant and... I...I'm the father." The redhead lifted his gaze from the table and looked into Link's eyes, his owns flooding with tears he couldn't hold back. "…And I have to propose to her tomorrow."

**EPISODE 04: Cosworth Street 217 Part 04 Killing Me Softly**

I know, I know. Don't we all just hate Peach now? –laughs-

Anyway, I have always wanted to write an interactive story and I'm going to try it on my new webpage, which is much easier. We all probably know that bleep bleep dot net doesn't allow interactive stories, so that's the reason why. If you're interested in being a part of this project, visit my webpage. The address can be found on my profile.

Thanks for reading!


	20. Cosworth Street 217 Part 05 An Unusual H...

**EPISODE 04: ****Cosworth**** Street**** 217 Part 05 An Unusual Hero**

"NO!" Link cried, pressing him tightly against himself. He wouldn't let Roy go that easy. Maybe his girlfriend could understand that they loved each other more than anyone could ever love anyone, Roy didn't love her, not now, not ever. "NO! You can't marry her!"

Roy looked into the elf's eyes, his owns flooding with tears, clenching his pullover tightly.. "…I have to." Then he buried his face in his hands, sobbing.

Link was surprised by this; it seemed that Roy didn't even try to think about some other solutions than marrying her. "No, you don't." The Hylian wrapped his arms around the general, pressing him closer to comfort him, listening to the silent sobs he was trying to suffocate and hide into his chest. "Don't cry… It'll turn out just fine."

"_What _will turn out just fine?" Roy enraged, pushing him away suddenly. "I have made her _pregnant! _I'll become a frickin' _father! _How could it turn out just fine?"

"Well…" Link thought for a long while, letting Roy calm down and come close again, pressing his head against his chest, crying in despair. He needed to make up something very fast to calm him, a solution to get him out of his girlfriend's grip. "…We could become a family. You know, your child would have two families; you and I and your girlfriend. It would be good, wouldn't it?" He said cheerfully. He knew it would probably be tough for the kid to get used to two families, but that way Roy would be happy too and they would be able of giving the child the image of a loving family where the parents loved not only the kid, but each other as well.

Roy was quiet for a long time, crying against his chest, breathing unevenly, scared like a little bunny, trying to come closer although he was already so tightly against him that he could feel the elf's heart beating in his chest. "…No. I can't do that to my child."

Link frowned. He had thought that his solution would've been more than good, but Roy rejected it. "Roy, what do you mean?"

"I can't do that to my child. It's my duty to give him a family--" He stuttered, sniffling and wiping his eyes, glancing quickly at Link with scared eyes.

"We'd be a _family_!" The elf said cheerfully, hugging him tighter, finally giving him a kiss on his cheek. The redhead looked at him with confusion for a while, but then his expression became painful as if he had just heard that someone very dear to him had been killed very slowly and painfully with a sewing machine.

"A _normal _family, Link… A family… with a _mother_ and a father, who both love him."

"But is that kind of a family, a family where the parents love the child, but not each other, good? Does it show the child _normality?_ How will your child react when he or she finds out that his father is, actually, in love with a man and left him for his child to live unhappily with the child's mother to give _him or her_ a happy childhood?"

Roy looked at him with tears glittering in his eyes. "Link… Don't you think… t-think that it's better to give him a nor-normal family and a …good example of a real home or… or a broken family and two homes, when he or she doesn't know which …home he or she lives in?"

"I know that you want the best to your kid, but what about yourself and your girlfriend?" He asked, caressing his hair gently. He would do everything he could to keep Roy as his.

"My… my girlfriend loves me, I… I know that, so I… am the only one who'll need to adjust." The redhead said and Link raised his eyebrows, implying that he would suffer of Roy's decision as well. The general turned his gaze away, pressing his head on his chest again. "It's all so _hard, _Link! I can't just abandon my kid and live with you, when we would be happy, but my child would never have a normal family!"

"What do you mean; _normal_? We're just as normal as anyone else." The elf assured.

Roy hit his chest slowly and weakly with his fist. "I can't do that to my child! I _have to give him or her a normal family_!"

Link sighed frustratedly, taking a hold of his hand and admiring it as if there would've been something very beautiful on it. "We'd _be _a normal family, for gods' sakes!"

"Is being gay normal?" Roy looked into his eyes with defiance.

"Just as normal as everything else. Roy, there isn't _normal_ like you think. _Normal _is just a word for people who want to be like others. We're normal, everything's normal." He explained, cupping the boy's cheek with his hand and looking into his teary eyes with tenderness and love, inviting him to another hug.

"No, we're not, unless you haven't noticed; we're two _guys. _To have a family there needs to be a guy and a _girl, _not two guys! Think of what it would cause to him if he had two fathers!" His look hadn't had an effect; the boy pushed him away, letting him still holding his hand though. It was as if he had already made his mind to leave him, but didn't want to and was forced to. But Link wouldn't let him leave him just like that; he would do everything to make him realize that if he and Roy stayed as a couple they would be able of providing the child with a better family than he and his girlfriend.

"Well, what?" Link asked.

"Well, think about it! Children talk about their parents and family all the time to their friends at the kindergarten. What do you think the other kids will do when they hear that my child has not only one, but _two _fathers?" The redhead didn't give Link time to answer. "They'll jeer him! They'll make fun of him and his gay parents!"

"Are you willing to give your happiness for _that_?" The elf asked sadly, looking away with a painful expression on his face.

"It's not a question of am I willing to, I _have _to!"

"No, it's not and you know it!" Link pulled him close. "A family where parents love _each other _and their children is a dozen times better than a family where the parents love only the child!"

"No! No! My child needs a family, one family! A family where he or she has love!" The redhead said defiantly, pushing him away and walking to the bedroom, closing the door behind him.

Link let himself fall on the couch, holding his own tears back. Roy was too stubborn. He had decided to give his child a hetero-family and wouldn't listen to him, at least not now. Maybe he could try to turn his head again a little later when he had calmed down. And to double the effect he could somehow remind him of his feelings, maybe with a few kisses or touches here and there.

But if Roy had made his decision and he wouldn't change it for any reason, he didn't know what to do. At first he had thought that he would just accept it and let him go, cry for a while and get over it, but then he had realized that he was _obsessed with_ Roy, he couldn't just get over him. Then he had thought that it would be enough if he would see him at work, but then again, he knew he couldn't keep his hands off him, especially now that he knew what his naked body felt against his and his moans, the silent gasps and how he had held tightly onto him… After a lot of thinking he had came to a solution. He would make Roy cheat on his girlfriend with him secretly and no one would ever know. But Roy could think about his family and reject him. If things went that way he would need to let him go… and after doing so, he would break and fall apart, he would die inside without Roy. Then he would be only an empty shell, going to work and coming home, making food to Young Link and going to bed.

A lot later Roy came to the living room and sat on the couch next to him, waking him up. He had no idea how late it was, but it didn't matter. Roy was there, sitting next to him, looking at his feet with a guilty look. His cheeks were completely red, at times he would glance at him, but then turn his gaze away, fiddling the hem of his green shirt. He straightened his position and looked at him gently, reaching his arm around him, brushing his hair out of his face with his other hand. As his hand touched the boy, Roy turned to him and literally jumped on him, hugging him tight.

After a while of confusion he hugged him back, tightly as well, caressing his red hair, smelling him, feeling him against him. He moved on the couch on his back so that Roy was on top of him, hoping that he wouldn't jerk away and when he didn't he finally breathed, closing his eyes, enjoying the moment.

"I'm sorry I lost my temper." Roy apologized to his neck quietly.

"It's all right." He whispered soothingly as if he would've been comforting Young Link.

"No, it's not." The boy looked him into the eyes with a blush still on his face. "…I've been thinking."

"Don't tell me you're still going to leave me." Link tried to say it playfully as if he was ready for it, but hidden behind his words was fear, it could be seen in his eyes, they were blue without the actual colour. Empty.

The redhead looked away with a pained expression. "…I thought about what you said and decided that… that although I made my decision, I need to tell you… why. I'm not leaving you because I wouldn't… wouldn't…"

"Love me?"

"…Yes. I'm… leaving you because, Link… When I was a child, my… father was never with me. My… my mother died at birth and I didn't even have any friends, because my father wouldn't let me have any... I was all alone… My father was a very busy man; he'd go to work at eight in the morning, come home at eleven in the evening and go to bed and then leave again the next morning."

"So, you're afraid that your kid will feel the same?" Link concluded.

The redhead didn't look at him, sitting up on him as if he was going to leave. He put his hands on his hips, holding him there gently. "I… guess so."

"But he or she would have more parents than you ever!" The elf sat up, hugging the general and pressing his nose against his. It wasn't over yet. He hadn't lost him yet. And by gods, he would fight for his and Roy's happiness.

"But if I stayed with you, he or she wouldn't have a… a _mother_ and a father like other kids." The general avoided the word normal, it was obvious. He was scared of being so close to him, but Link tried to calm him down by drawing gently circles on his back.

"Yes, your child would have even more than that. He or she'd have one extra parent." The Hylian kissed Roy's cheek again, who kissed his lips in return and he lay back on his back, the redhead on top of him. They kissed for a long while, touching each other and feeling the love, exploring it and expanding it, but in both of their minds was the tiny monster eating their hearts about Roy's girlfriend's unborn child.

Link could understand his worry now, but he had never even had parents. His mother and father had died when he had been nothing but a baby, his mother had brought him to the Great Deku Tree when he had been less than a year old, so he had no memory of them. He didn't want to mention about it to Roy, it would only confuse him even more and make him unsure. If he had to go to extremes, he would make up another plan, such as using Young Link.

"Hoo, it's pretty cold here." The redhead said suddenly, sitting up.

"Let's heat things up." Link said with a mischievous smile, pulling him down to a kiss.

He broke it and climbed off the elf. "No, I think we ought to give the boiler room a visit."

"Aww, can't it wait? Only a few kisses?"

"Don't you realize that I'm desperately trying to leave you?" The redhead asked, a little annoyed but it seemed that the annoyance was only a mask and that he was really pleased to hear him miss him so. Link stood up and walked to the general, embracing him gently and giving him kiss on his cheek, smiling mischievously:

"Oh, I do realize that, but accepting it is a _totally different_ thing."

Roy blushed, he turned his face away to hide it and leaned against him shyly, trailing his hands up his chest as well. As Link hugged him, he noticed how he was shaking in his thin cotton shirt, no wonder he wanted to pay the boiler room a visit. He squeezed him tight quickly and let him go, taking a hold of his hand and guiding him to the corridor and down the stairs towards the boiler room.

They opened the heavy door, revealing a large boiler room with an incinerator in the other end, it's door was open and the flames licked the metal. The red and orange colours of the fire danced on the room's walls like the room itself would've been alive, dancing around those standing in the room. There was the janitor, some old lady with a blue dress with white spots on it and an old man, whose beard was probably longer than he was. The two froze on the door, seeing that Granny was in the middle of them, afraid, her almost white eyes were open wide. She was tied up with a rope. The woman with the spotty dress held a screwdriver in her hands, it seemed that she was about to plunge it into her eyes.

"Hey!" Roy shouted, taking his gun and pointing at them. The elf held his hand on his gun, ready to take it out and shoot them if they wouldn't listen to the general.

They all turned to look at them, their eyes were cold, filled with hatred. Then they all turned to face the two, their mouths open as if they were only mindless marionettes, dead roused from their graves. Roy took a step back in fear, bumping into his love and they both fell down. Scared by hitting Link he fired and hit the old man. He let out a growl, falling back. As he fell, the others ran to the two, jumping on them to hold them down.

Somewhere from behind them appeared more people to help them holding them down. They managed to knock Roy out cold, which made Link fight against them even more fiercely. He managed to break free a couple of times, but it was hopeless. It seemed as if all the tenants of the house were attacking him. He tried to get his gun, but noticed that it had fallen on floor just by the door.

"Roy!" He tried to wake up his love, but it was hopeless. Roy was unconscious, looking peaceful as they carried him next to Granny and made him lay down with her. Granny looked at him with kind eyes; the elf could hear the old woman comforting the redhead with fear in her voice. She was trying to calm him down to help herself stay cool.

Link was eventually smothered, his mouth was filled with an old rag, a rope was tied on it so that he couldn't spit it out and then he was tied with the same rope in a knot he could never open. Then they carried him next to the two and Granny turned to look at him with her scared old woman's eyes.

"Is this how I go?" She asked calmly from him, her voice quivering.

He tried to mumble an answer, but the rag wouldn't let him. He found himself panicking, not about himself, but about Roy. He didn't want his love to be incinerated now when they had become so close, their souls had merged, their bodies had joined. But no matter what he did, it seemed hopeless to free his hands and get the gun.

He saw the people come closer, they had all kinds of strange instruments in their hands and they were surely going to use them for something. He closed his eyes, scared of what would come, hoping that something, anything would happen.

"Say 'cheese', stupidos!" Link turned to look at the door where his smaller self stood, holding the gun. His hands trembled, but his expression was defiant. The older elf knew that Young Link would fire if he needed to. The woman in the spotty dress took a step closer to him, holding the screwdriver as a weapon.

Young Link gasped, the gun almost fell from his hands, but then he suddenly fired. Link closed his eyes, waiting for the bullet to hit anything. There was a loud growl, then a thud and lots of scared voices. He opened his eyes again to see the scared and panicking Young Link, still holding the gun, gasping in horror; he had just killed a person. His eyes were open wide, tears ran down his cheeks and his lower lip trembled, it seemed as if he would break under the guilt, fall on his knees and let the people capture him like they had captured Granny, Link and Roy before him.

Link let out a muffled cry, waking him up from his thoughts, even though his hands trembled and he was crying, he lifted the gun again, aiming at the old man.

"N-next goes grandpa!" He shouted defiantly through his tears.

All the tenants gasped, but attacked him. He fired at them, closing his eyes and turning his head away. He could hear the cried the tenants made as they were hit, but he wouldn't stop until the gun started clicking, he had fired all the fifteen shots.

Panic ran up his spine as fast as lighting strikes, but he tried to stay cool, holding the gun defiantly in his trembling hands. He opened his eyes, glaring at those who were still alive, breathing heavily, letting the tears fall on his light blue shirt, shaking his head to get his hair out of his view.

Quickly he glanced around, knowing that if he wouldn't find a weapon soon, he'd be captured and burned in the incinerator. He couldn't find anything; the room was only full of those humans who didn't seem like humans, they were more like rabid animals. Then he saw it.

There was Roy's gun on the floor as well, lying there, waiting for someone to take it. He glanced at the tenants quickly, then jumped to it and took it, aiming at them again.

"You either surrender, or you die like all these jerks!"

They looked at him with fear mixed in defiance, but then backed away, almost hissing. He glared at them as he ran to his older self and released him, but then he broke like the child he was. He had just killed many people, shot them, fully aware that they would die and now he had let his brains process the information and it broke him. "L-Link... I just w-wanted to come to se-see you." He said behind the tears, snuggling closer.

"You were brave." Link took his smaller self in his arms, taking the gun from his hands that were white from holding it so tightly. Then he pressed him close and rocked him back and forth, glaring at the tenants, but still whispering comforting words to his pointy little ears.

He released the old woman and took the cellphone from his pocket, dialling the number of the S.F.B.I. and handed it to Granny.

"Tell them to come to Cosworth Street 217, as many men and ambulances as they can bring."

Granny called, she was starting to calm down as well. Beside her was the unconscious Roy, looking like a child sleeping peacefully, the fire's light from the incinerator flickered on his calm face. Link held Young Link on his lap, hugging him tightly, listening to him cry against his chest, gazing at his love and hoping that when he'd come to, he would understand how much he loved him and let him become a father of his child as well.

When Roy woke up, his head hurt a little. As he touched it, he noticed a sore bump and grimaced. He sat up, noticing he was in their bedroom, Link wasn't there. He got up quickly, worried that something had happened and ran to the living room. He found Link sitting next to his smaller self, who was sleeping on the couch.

As he entered the room, Link lifted his gaze from Young Link's peaceful face and asked worriedly:

"You all right?"

"Y-yeah." He rubbed the back of his head where the bump was. "You?"

"I'm all right. Did you know that Young Link saved us?"

Roy's mouth opened wide with his eyes and Link chuckled: "He's one tough guy, isn't he?"

"…Taking after you." The general said, looking at his feet with a smile. Then he walked to him and he stood up to hug him. He hugged him back tightly, smiling.

Link turned his face towards his, looking into his eyes tenderly. Then he pressed his lips gently on his and he answered, answered so passionately that everything on the world blurred and there was only one in his eyes; Link.

"I was worried." Roy admitted after the kiss.

"…Me too." Link agreed, placing a kiss on his soft lips and pulling him down on the floor.

"Holy potato! Get a grip, you two!" Young Link said frustratedly from the couch.

**EPISODE 04: ****Cosworth**** Street**** 217 Part 05 An Unusual Hero**

EPISODE OVER! Hey, I'd like to know one thing. You all praise me to heavens, which is way more than I deserve and I'd like you all to point out all the bad things in this story this time, could you do it for me? Don't worry; I can take criticism, so you can be harsh. I asked for it! –laughs- Anything, if you hate me, go on and say it, if you think this is worse than the Smash Files (which it surely is), go ahead and let me know, if you think my characters or the plot's just way over the top, I'd like to know.

Thanks for reading, I'll be eagerly waiting for your reviews!


	21. Am Ende Der Straße Part 01 Hiho, On A Fi...

**EPISODE 05: ****Am ****Ende ****der ****Straße**** Part 01 Hi-ho, On A Field-Trip We Will Go!**

"Oh, please. Give me a wide smile now. It's not polite to look that sour in front of a camera."

"I don't care. I'm not coming with you."

"Why not?"

"Because it's wet out there? It's cold? And most of all, we're not going to find anything, no matter what." The redhead covered the camera with his hand. "Put that away."

"But I want to have video of you for lonely nights." The Hylian said, giving him a mischievous smile, waggling his eyebrows. "...And besides, wouldn't it be great to explore the forest? You never know what you'd find!"

"Oh, yes I do. I'd find some stumps, marshes, mushrooms and trees. That's all." Roy said frustratedly, smiling a dull smile. "Link, don't hunt what's not there." The redhead sat on the table in his office and took the papers from it in his hands, checking them.

"I'm not hunting what's not there. I'm just thinking that it would be great to get out of this city for a couple of days to relax in the forest, wouldn't that be great?" The elf tried to get his love excited, but he had obviously made his mind and was going to keep it. Sometimes he just hated how stubborn Roy could be.

"Why did you mention the ghosts and spirits then?"

"...Because legends and stories like those are exciting, aren't they?" The Hylian suggested with an innocent, excited smile.

Roy rolled his eyes. "Umm… No? Link, those kinds of stories are for children." He explained to the pointy-eared elf with a gentle tone, leaning his head a little: "You better forget about me. I'm going to take these reports to Boss now and then go home." He jumped off the table and walked towards the door, he had made his decision and his head wouldn't be turned.

"Hey, wait a second." The Hylian stopped him. "Are those the reports from Cosworth Street 217?"

"Yeah."

"…You never told me what made the people act like that."

"Uh… Well, I'm not sure, but I made a profile on the things that were found in the tenants' houses and came up with this." He browsed through the papers for a while and then handed a report to him, written in a very messy handwriting.

_In all of the 46 apartments of Cosworth Street 217 were lots of strong alcoholic drinks and drugs we couldn't identify, but we suspect that they were home-made by mixing two ancient drugs shamans and Indians used in their rituals. _

_Judging from the five weeks I and my partner stayed at __Cosworth Street__ 217, I can say that the tenants were all very unfriendly and never left their apartments. They didn't answer their doors when we tried to talk to them. We could hear their televisions on and knew they were home, but they didn't open. I thought they had some kind of a problem, such as deep depression or bad self-confidence, but I dismissed the idea after I heard screams at nights. _

_I think that some kind of a twisted religion had begun to bloom in that house. At first it has probably been only one very sick person, whose ideal of a perfect life is very twisted. Somehow his or her ideals have spread to that building and grown stronger. At some point they have decided to sacrifice human victims to their god or gods. _

_The bodies of the victims were found in the water tank, which explains the hair in the water and the red showers the previous tenants experienced. I suggest that the bodies were only hidden there for some bigger occasion when they would sacrifice them all. _

_The way the tenants all acted was under a heavy dose of their own drug. I think that although these people are very sick and need medication and proper treatment in an asylum, they have to be alienated from their religion. It may take long, but in order to make them healthy and stop the incidents at __Cosworth Street__ 217, it's necessary. _

"And I though they were just hungry", the Hylian said after reading the report and gave it back to his beloved. "But please, think about the trip, all right? I'd really like to have you there with us." He put a hand around him, looking at him like a little puppy with his big blue eyes, trying to look cute. But of course, it didn't work.

"Us? You never told me there are others coming too." The redhead asked rather absent-mindedly. It was as if he was asking just because he had nothing else to say.

"Well, Marth and Young Link."

Roy smiled, probably relieved that they wouldn't be alone in the forest. "...Fine, I'll think about it. When are you leaving?"

"My vacation starts the day after tomorrow and Marth's a few days after that when Young Link's semester begins. I guess we'll leave then." He answered, tugging at Roy's belt. The general blushed deep red and turned his face away to hide the smile spreading on his lips. He tried to bite his ear, but Roy turned his head away, a shadow of pain glided across his face.

The elf sighed, knowing very well what Roy was thinking about. Peach. Well, maybe not Peach, but his unborn child. A silence fell over them, he didn't move, his fingers were still on Roy's belt and the general stared in front of him; they were like a statue for a while.

"...Oh, okay. See you." Roy said suddenly. He gave a quick sile to Link before hurrying to the corridor. He took the reports to the Boss's secretary, who gave him a kind smile when she took them from him. He smiled back at her, not as cheerfully as she had smiled to him, but smiled nevertheless. Then he hurried out of the headquarters to go to Peach, who had been calling him all day long.

He walked down the street towards her apartment with a gloomy expression. He couldn't help regretting all his actions during the last year; he had really managed to get himself into a big old mess. If he could, he would've turned back time and told Link the first day he had met him how much he loved him. Then all this mess would disappear and they could be together and they could be happy for once in their lives.

_But time travel isn't possible_, his subconscious reminded maliciously, he could almost hear it laughing scornfully in the corners of his mind.

He knew he was about to be a father and tied to Peach with a chain called marriage, but he would never forget Link, his strong arms, his warm body, his gentle lips, his cerulean eyes… Every time he would touch Peach, he would think of Link, he would dream him on her place and live in his own dreamland, but he wouldn't abandon his child. He couldn't. He was going to propose to her today and he would stand all this like a man, unlike his father.

The closer he got to Peach's apartment, the more he wanted to leave running. But he had no other choice. He would need to go to her and get on one knee and propose to her and he would need to paint a mask of happiness on his face for his child for the rest of his life. He even gave Link's suggestion a second thought, but dismissed it. It was all so depressing.

He came to Peach's apartment building and she noticed him, standing on her balcony she had probably been expecting him.

"Hi, honey!" She greeted, waving her hand. He gave her a forced smile, but couldn't help the sadness swimming in the blueness of his eyes. It took him a long time to answer her greeting, he didn't know what to do or say anymore, the only thing he could think about was Link. Link was everywhere, in his thoughts, in his vision, in his touch, everything. Finally he couldn't take it anymore and ran away, panicking. Peach looked after him, confused.

"I wonder what's up with men these days." She said before she went back inside.

He arrived to the docks after a while and felt how the fresh sea wind blew against him with its cleansing touch. Somewhere near the fishing ships seagulls screamed eagerly, fighting for their food. The waves hit the shore, following their own rhythm from time immemorial, some foaming as they came. The sea itself seemed calm, reflecting the rays of the sun back to the sky. The docks, although very busy all the time, were always so calming. He sat down on a bench, sighing. He needed to get Link out of his head. Otherwise all this would make him crazy. Why had he even let his heart get control of himself? Now he was controlled completely by it and he disliked that very much.

When his senses had controlled him, he had been able of blocking his feelings and acting the way his senses had told him. Now when his heart was in charge, he couldn't close himself, fake feelings, hide them, crush them or push them away, they kept appearing on his mind all the time.

He couldn't help one fear; what if he would go crazy with Peach? He would think about Link so much that he would just go crazy one day and break. Otherwise he knew he could live with it, but the illusion would break every time they touched. Peach didn't have the strong touch Link had, she was a woman, a frail girl, not a man who could take him in his arms and hold him close.

He wanted to have Link, but what about his child? He couldn't give his child such a broken family, a mother somewhere and a father somewhere else. Then the child would be lost and he would have the right to be; where would his real home be? And if Peach had the child, she would be the legal single-parent and with a law case she could somehow take his child completely away from him. And he didn't want that. He wanted to be a good father, a father his children could be proud of. A father who would have _time _for his children.

And if he wanted that, he couldn't have Link. Link needed to be put in his past. He sighed in desperation and closed his eyes, rubbing them with his hands subconsciously, maybe to clear his vision to get some answers, but no answers just fell from the sky. He had to make them himself.

"Hey", he heard a gentle voice say from behind and turned around to see who it was. Marth stood a few feet away from the bench, looking at him solemnly, his eyes were glassy, the wind played with his hair, tearing it and then almost letting it go before pulling it again.

"…Hi." He said almost shyly, somehow Marth scared him when he didn't come close, he just stood there, looking at him with his cobalt blue eyes, icy and cold as North pole.

"…I think you need some advice." The noble said after a long silence. Then he finally walked to him and sat down next to him, quietly. He let the wind caress his face for a moment, breathing the fresh air from the sea, probably cleaning his mind. Roy watched him quietly, frowning a little. He had no idea how the noble had found him or why he had said that he thought he needed advice, but looking at his calm face Roy knew he had the wisdom of many years beyond his own age.

"…I love Link very much…" Marth said gently to the wind, still keeping his eyes closed. The redhead turned his gaze away, embarrassed. He had stolen his best friend's boyfriend and now Marth had probably come to tell him he had ruined his own, Link's and Marth's lives. Which was true, now that he thought about it. He had first stolen Link from Marth and now he had told the elf he would leave him because he was having an unwanted child with Peach. Suddenly the noble turned his face to him, opening his cobalt eyes and looking into his. "…And I let him go to get you two together. You know why?"

Roy blushed deep red, avoiding his gaze. He hadn't thought that Marth would put it like that, but it was still confusing to hear him talking about the redhead's and Link's relationship. "W-why?"

"Because you two are an object." Marth said as calmly as ever. "…But then I heard something that made my heart skip a beat."

"What was it?" Roy asked immediately.

"Today in the cafeteria I heard that you were getting a child with Peach. Is that true?" The noble asked solemnly, but couldn't hold his expression. He grabbed the redhead's shoulders and pulled him close to look into his eyes, maybe to find an answer drowning in them. "I-I mean, she must be making this all up!"

Roy shook his head slowly, trying to struggle free of his grasp, but he was stronger. "N-no, sh-she's pregnant and the child's m-mine." As he finished his sentence, Marth let go of him so suddenly that he almost fell off the bench.

"But how? When? Why? WHY?" He asked, shouting to the wind more than to his friend.

"I… I was drunk…" The general said guiltily, avoiding his gaze even more furiously. As the noble looked at him, he looked like a little boy who had just broken the neighbour's window and come to tell his father about it.

"You were drunk?" Marth asked, unable to hide the furious tone of his voice. He knew what a pain in the ass Peach was and now his best friend was willingly chaining himself to her. He had to do every thing he could to prevent that. "Do you even remember any of it?"

Roy lifted his feet on the bench, against his chest as if they were a shield against Marth. "I… I remember… kisses…"

"So you're not sure you made love to her?" The noble asked, putting his face against his, their noses touching. "Are you?" He asked again when the redhead didn't answer immediately.

"I… I don't know…" Roy said, feeling highly uncomfortable. Marth was too close, he was too emotional, he was so unlike what he normally was.

"So you could have passed out instead of making love to her?" Marth asked, now calming down, recreating the calm mask on his face. Almost surprisingly fast his expression changed into a calm, unemotional mask. It was as if he could just snap his fingers and stop laughing or crying or make his anger disappear.

"I… guess… I guess that's possible." Roy answered, still looking at his feet, now slowly understanding Marth's point. He looked up to his friend with a surprised expression to see the noble smile at him with a knowing smile.

"And... that would mean that you aren't the father." He said like Sherlock Holmes, his cobalt eyes shining with some deep mischievous glint.

The general looked at him, frowning. "Then how can she be pregnant?" He wanted to believe what the prince said, but his senses were fighting against it. Not even Peach would lie about being pregnant. Or would she?

"Maybe she isn't." The noble said simply. "With Peach you'll have to know that she'll say anything to keep you."

"So… what you're saying… is that she might not be really pregnant?" The redhead couldn't believe it. It couldn't all be so easy; his problems wouldn't be so easily solved. He had to become sure was Peach pregnant or not before he would start celebrating anything.

"Yes. If I were you, I'd take her to the hospital and have a doctor check it out." The prince said gently as if advicing a child. Roy couldn't help hope pulling the strings of smile at his lips anymore and jumped on his feet, thanking him with a wide smile before he started running like he was on fire back to Peach's apartment. He would do what Marth had suggested and he would do it now to know for sure. He could feel his heart fluttering in his chest, celebrating already, he felt like he could almost grow wings and fly to Link and love him without any of these problems until the end of time.

But while he could feel the happiness, he could also feel the pain. She could as well be pregnant. Marth had only suggested that she wasn't, he hadn't told him that she wasn't pregnant, only that she said anything to keep him as her own. Roy tried not to get too excited, but his heart just wouldn't listen to his senses, it was already dreaming of the life with Link. The free life in the arms of his beloved.

He arrived to her apartment and ran the stairs up, rung her doorbell and when she answered he told her he wanted to take her to the hospital now. He was exhausted, but right at that moment

"Why?" Peach asked, frowning. "I'm not going to those madhouses without a reason."

"Because…" Roy had to make up something very quick. "Did you know that there was a bio weapon alert in S.F.B.I. today?"

She looked very surprised. "I didn't know. Were you worried I was a victim?" She asked sensually as if she was trying to hit on him.

"No, I was worried our child was a victim." He answered. "And still might be. I want to take you to some tests before I can sleep." Roy lied without a problem, acting scared. He didn't care what lies he would tell her, he just needed to know was she pregnant.

---

Link arrived home, finding Young Link doing his homework enthusiastically at the kitchen table.

"Link, the therapeutic was stupid." He said quickly.

"But you need it. You're jumpy and scared all the time." He answered calmly, taking off his boots.

"But she only asked stupid questions of my life and showed me a gun."

"What did you do when you saw the gun?" Link asked, knowing the answer. He walked to the kitchen table and sat down to look into his smaller self's eyes. He knew Young Link didn't want to talk about what had happened, but about the therapeutic he had to know. He wouldn't mention Cosworth Street to the child if it made him afraid.

"I… I panicked. Anyone could panic." The boy said as if he would've been talking about something very ordinary. His fear was a delicate subject, he wanted to be strong like his bigger self and be an adult, but he couldn't help his fears. He did his best to be like adults, never afraid of anything like Link, but he just hadn't been able to control his fear when he had seen that gun.

"Of course." Link said gently. "I think you should still keep going there, comparing you now to you at the building; you've done a lot of progress in just a few weeks." He took a pan from the cupboard to make something simple to eat; he could hear his stomach growl like a savage beast. He peeked into the freezer and found an old bag of frozen peas and decided to cook them along with some minced meat and spaghetti.

"But I don't like her." The young elf protested.

"Still", his bigger self answered calmly. "Did you know Roy'll become a father?" He asked a little absent-mindedly, although his little self needed him, he couldn't stop thinking about Roy and the general's problems.

"Really? Wow!" Young Link said enthusiastically. "When?"

"I don't know." He answered, this time sadly. He stared at the frying pan on the stove emotionlessly, knowing that it would all be over between him and Roy. The general had made his decision and no matter what he did, he would hang onto it.

---

"She told me that you were afraid that your child was infected with something…" The doctor said thoughtfully to the redhead, they were standing in a white waiting room full of old women chatting idly, waiting for their turn to see the doctor.

"But?" He asked, clenching his fists. Now was the moment of truth. Either the doctor would tell him his child was very healthy and there was nothing wrong, or then he would ask where the child is.

"Your girlfriend's very healthy, and so is your child. There's nothing to worry about." The doctor smiled at him understandingly, putting a hand on his shoulder.

Roy looked into his olive eyes, unable to do anything in a while, his joy of life dying inside him; he could feel how his heart was being crushed inside him and it hurt more than thousand knives thrust into his body. He wanted to run to the roof and throw himself down to the street to get out of his misery. But now he had a child to take care of, he couldn't do that.

"It's your first child, right?" The doctor asked, deducing from his reaction.

Roy glanced at the doctor, a little surprised that he asked something like that. Was it so obvious? Did it shine from him? "Y-yes."

"You have the right to be worried about your child. Just try not to panic too much. There are groups for first-time fathers like yourself, I can give you the address and date when they meet if you're interested."

"N-no, thanks. I think I'll be just fine." He answered quickly, dismissing the doctor's idea with a gentle smile.

"All right. Just one advice; support each other, the child will only strengthen your love." The doctor said, writing something to his papers. Then he walked away, maybe to another patient.

He sat down on a chair, waiting for Peach to come back. Now that she was surely pregnant he had no choice. He would _learn_ to love her. He would _learn _to forget Link, and close him from his life again like he had done so many times before. He just needed his senses to take over his heart.

_'The child will only strengthen your love.' _He could hear the words echoing in his head. If he accepted Link as his child's second father, it would come true, but with Peach... with Peach he knew he would only probably become cynical towards her, no matter hwo much he loved his child.

"Hi, honey!" Peach sailed from the doctor's office towards him like she would've owned him. Like he was a dog and she had come to take him for a walk. She gave him a kiss on the cheek very theatrically, but when she didn't get one in return, she slapped Roy on the cheek, hissing:

"Everyone here thinks you hate me if you don't kiss me now!" He sighed, but gave her a kiss on the cheek with a forced smile. She smiled a faked smile, practiced in front of a mirror, beautiful as a magazine cover.

"But you know I love you." He said, the words sounded so hollow, they had no meaning at all. And when they had no meaning, it wasn't hard to say them at all. When he had told Link 'I miss you', the feelings in those words had been so passionate that at first he hadn't found any words for them, there weren't words for his love towards him. But when he told Peach that he loved her, he could've been smalltalking.

But she didn't even notice the emptiness of his words; she grabbed his hand and walked him out of the building like he was her pet. He couldn't help the sadness in his eyes. Some of the people who looked into his eyes stopped smiling, the joy in their eyes died momentarily and they looked after him, wondering what could make a man so sad.

Roy walked her to her door, but made up an excuse to leave before she could even ask him to come inside. She did complain, but gladly let him go. He ran down the stairs, wanting to find Marth again, the prince was the only one who understood his pain and could help him with Peach now.

---

Yup, there it is. By the way, I know I'm advertising a lot to you all the time, and I'll stop doing that, but I'd just like to hear your comments on the interactive story I've got, because it's not really working... Also, I collected all the review-answers I've ever done to my webpage, so if you're interested, check them out too!

I hope you enjoyed, your reviews are always welcome!


	22. Am Ende Der Straße Part 02 Younger

**I accidentally removed this chapter, I am so sorry. When I was told about the mistake I had done from _kupow_ I tried to find it and correct the mistake, but my computer had crashed and all of my writings had been deleted. I'm so sorry. **

Quick overview:

Roy breaks up with Link, no matter what the elf says because he wants to have a normal family of a father and a mother for his child and he's willing to throw away his own happiness for that. His father had never taken proper care of him and he didn't want his child have to suffer the same.

Marth sees how much it hurts Roy to let go of Link and tells him why he left the Hylian. For the two of them to be together, because he could see that they were an object. Roy decides to continue their relationship for a short trip to the forest.


	23. Am Ende Der Straße Part 03 Ghost River

**EPISODE 05: Am Ende Der Straße Part 03 Ghost River**

---

Roy looked with horror at the little girl's head hanging from her hair in the man's grip, swinging back and forth. The eyes were glassy, staring into the distance. Then he dropped it and it rolled into the corner on the other side of the room and disappeared into the darkness. Roy stood up to ask what was going on from the other kids, but his steps were unstable, he wasn't used to his tiny little feet.

When he finally succeeded, he started running towards the doors that would take him out again and hopefully give him back his adult body. As he ran, everything seemed so slow. It was the same speed he normally walked. He didn't even get far when the man with the scythe pointed at him and the other kids dragged him back to the corner. No matter how much he screamed and fought against them, nothing happened; he was completely powerless as a child against children.

As they got to the corner, they threw him against the wall, solemnly like moving statues.

"Why?" He screamed, then screamed again; horrified by his voice.

No one answered, the children only turned to look at the man cloaked in black, holding the scythe in his hand. He was looking at the girl's head in his hand. Then he suddenly threw it into the corner to the children and they all bent over to look at it and chattered excitedly. Roy pressed his back against the wall tightly, not wanting to see those empty dead eyes anymore.

The closer he leaned, the colder it got. The wall behind him didn't feel like a wall at all, it was soft like a pillow and he could almost sink into it. He pressed his finger into it and as he took it off, there was a small hole in the wall, on the other side was only darkness as deep as tar, probably just as deadly too.

Fear crept into his spine, he could almost swear that he could hear the house breath when he pressed his ear against the wall. Very quietly it inhaled and exhaled, deep down somewhere, but it was alive. Roy tried to convince himself he was just going crazy, but everything was so real. He tested that he wasn't sleeping by pinching himself and, not used to a child's sensitive skin, he bruised himself. That made him almost forget about the mansion where he was in, if he had hurt himself as a child that hard, would he be a good father? Would he be too violent and strangle or choke or hurt his child when he would get close to him? He tried not to think about it, it was enough that he was losing his mind for Link, holding back his overpowering love, watching a murderer with a scythe killing children, he was going to get married with a woman who he hated, but his mind was stubborn and kept telling him that he was going to become a father.

_If I ever make it alive out of here…_ He thought, looking around. Everything looked so much bigger than when he had still had his own body. Of course, he had got smaller, but he had become so small that it scared him. The way to the doors on the other end of the hall was like the marathon, it would take forever to get there. Roy got up on his unstable feet and fumbled quietly by the wall towards the corner where he could sneak to the doors and escape.

Half-way there his feet gave in and he lost his balance and fell on his butt on the floor, feeling a little embarrassed. The only thing he needed to make the illusion of childhood perfect would've been a diaper, but no way he wanted one of those. He was going to teach his and Peach's child out of diapers as soon as possible so that he wouldn't need to change them.

Roy got up again and started to trot towards the corner, quietly, but fast. His legs got tired very soon, but he wouldn't give in twice. He kept going, wondering why children even bothered moving when it was so difficult with their small, round feet. He arrived to the corner, exhausted. The door was still a long way to go, but at least he was making progress. He had decided that he would not die here and not now, not only because he wanted to live, but because he knew how devastated Link would be if he never saw him again. And he, while sitting there in the dark, lonely corner, thought about the elf he loved so much.

He had once got to touch him and opened his heart to him, given him everything and showed him the real him behind all the defences he had and Link still loved him, had loved from the first day and would love him until the world would die, that he knew. Link had whispered that to him once, right into his ear in the soft darkness of Cosworth Street's bedroom, he had been so warm and so close; a barrier from all the evil things in the world. Roy wished Link would've been there with him at that moment, holding him in his warm lap, rubbing his back and pressing him closer. He would snuggle closer to him and he would feel so safe.

But Link was nowhere near to be found, he was probably sleeping peacefully in his sleeping bag in the tent, hugging Roy's empty sleeping bag as if the general was still in there. Roy really wanted to be there, but what could he do, he had willingly followed those children and had to pay the price.

He got up on his feet and started towards the doors again. As they grew bigger when they came closer, Roy ran faster, still trying to stay as quiet as possible. His freedom was just behind those doors and he was going to get out of here and out of the child's body he had been trapped in.

As he ran towards the door, he started to wonder; what if he wouldn't get his own body back as he got out? Would he stay as a child, unable to love Link? He stopped for a while and glanced at the ghost-children in the far corner to his left. They were all looking at the wall; the man was looking at them as well. Roy sighed, because none of them were looking at him, but it still didn't solve his problem. What if he had to share the same fate as the children who had come to get him? Then he wouldn't get his adult body back if he went outside. At that moment he didn't care, he just wanted to get out.

He reached the door and tried to reach to the handle, but it was so high up. He tried to jump quietly to get a hold of it, but he was too short. He glanced at the man with the scythe behind him before he ran away from the doors and towards them as fast as he could and jumped against them, hoping that they would open, that they would fly open and he would roll down the stairs on the porch outside and land on the soft moss. He turned his side towards the door, protecting his soft side with his hand as he hit the door. It made a loud bang, rust creaked in its hinges, but nothing happened. Roy let himself fall on the floor, now everyone's gaze on him. The man was staring at him from the darkness, he couldn't see his face so clearly, but he could feel that burning, accusing, hungry gaze on his skin and he wanted to cry.

The man got up, he was very tall and slender, he had a black cape on him that made him look like a perverted nun or a black ghost with those invisible, summoning eyes. Roy pressed himself against the cold door, whimpering in fear. The scythe glittered ominously in the man's hand. The redhead turned his head away and closed his eyes; he didn't want to see the man coming closer.

He cried out when the man got to him and lifted him on his feet from his hair. It hurt so much that tears flowed down his cheeks, no matter how hard he bit his teeth together. His scalp tingled and ached even though the man let go, examining him with his soulless eyes. Roy wanted to fall on his butt again and pull his feet against his chest like they were a shield against that man, but he would probably only take a hold of his hair and lift him on his feet again.

"Younger." The man said, taking a hold of his chin with his cold hand, looking directly into his closed eyes. Then he let go, throwing the redhead against the doors and returning to his place, calling for one of the children to come closer.

Roy tried to shout, but his words came out as babbling, not really sounding like anything. He looked at his hands, they were getting smaller and rounder, his grip became weaker and he could no longer stand. He fell on his butt and looked as he became even smaller, losing the ability to talk and walk. He tried to crawl towards the door; something had to be done, but couldn't. He had completely lost his ability to move at all. All he could do was to look around and make different kinds of sounds.

He glanced at the man with the scythe, a young boy standing in front of him.

"GA-GAH AY!" He tried to say 'Run, run away', but his speech had become babbling. He closed his eyes and turned his gaze away as the scythe rose to strike.

---

Peach stood up to leave from work; she had been on duty the whole night, waiting for a call for back-up. She drank the rest of her coffee as she took the mug to the sink and poured water in it. The other officer sat behind the same table she had been sitting and put the headset on, waving her goodbye. She smiled at him sweetly before she walked to the dressing room to change into her casual clothes.

She put her dress on, yawning at the same time. No matter how much coffee she had drunk, it didn't seem to have any effect. Her eyelids felt so heavy that she could've stretched herself on the bench and slept there, but she couldn't do that. She had a child inside her, growing within her and the child needed care. And besides, she wanted chocolate, lots of chocolate and sour milk. It felt strange, but she knew that it was only because she was pregnant and the child needed nutrition, giving her all these crazy desires.

Peach cursed as she put her shoes on, she wanted the child, but she hated being pregnant. She was going to get a lot of weight during her pregnancy and those nasty scars all over her stomach. It annoyed her that she had to lose her figure for the child and she wouldn't be beautiful any longer. She imagined herself with greasy hair and pimples all over her face, her empty stomach hanging from her waist like an empty bag. It made her shiver; she made a disgusted noise as she walked out of the office.

She stopped by a kiosk as she left the building, buying chocolate goodies and milk because they didn't have sour milk. The kid had to be happy with what he or she would get. She patted her stomach with a mischievous smile as she walked towards her apartment building, although she was going to lose her figure, she was going to get a husband. She had got Roy so easily that it almost made her feel bad, but she explained to her conscience that she loved him and he wouldn't have taken her otherwise. Any girl would've done what she was doing. She knew it was wrong, but so was dumping her! She had been dumped by her every single boyfriend and it made her so angry. But Roy was different; he was going to spend the rest of his life with her, under her boot, controllable like a puppet.

As she walked up the stairs like she always did to get some exercise and besides, the old ladies with their shopping bags in the elevator, stinking like tobacco and too much Dior's 200$ perfume on them didn't really give her the nice feeling. Also, they always looked at her with jealous eyes because they had had children and they had lost their figures unlike she and they weren't working for the S.F.B.I. and didn't get to carry fancy badges. She didn't know for sure where they really jealous, but it made her feel better because she was beautiful and she could get any guy she wanted. Well, until he dumped her.

"Stupid goddamn idiots." She cursed as she ate her chocolate bar while fumbling with her keys by her door. When she found the right key to her door, she heard steps from the floor above, descending the stairs towards her floor. The mailman came down and flashed a smile to her, when their eyes met.

"Hello, Ms. Toadstool." He said cheerfully.

"Hi, Jake." She answered, pretending to like his company, but she really wanted him to roll down the stairs and die. She wasn't sure if she could trust him with her secret, but she had had to, he was the only one she knew Roy would never meet.

Jake wasn't much to look at. He had bleached his hair so many times that it looked like a dead mammal lying on his head. His face was rather round, it made him look much younger than what he actually was. His eyes were deep green, somehow mysterious and very kind. He was wearing a mailman's uniform, a red jacket with white pants, carrying his mailbag on his shoulder lazily.

"Has he proposed yet?" Jake asked to continue the conversation. Peach held back all the words she wanted to say, spreading a kind smile on her face.

"No, not yet. He's out of town with some friends."

"Oh, well, good luck." Jake gave her her mail, winking. She found it very difficult not to spit on his face, but was able to keep up her kind girl act. She disappeared into her apartment as fast as she could, closing the door behind her without saying good bye.

_Bastard._

She put the mail on her kitchen table with her keys and walked to her bedroom, throwing herself on the bed. At first sleep didn't want to come to her at all, the caffeine she had drunk was finally taking its effect. She closed her eyes tightly, freezing herself still, thinking about her beauty as she lay there. It always made her feel good to think about how beautiful she was and this time too, she started to feel relaxed and sleep finally reached its soft arms around her.

She fell asleep with all her clothes on and slept until noon, when the baby inside her wanted more chocolate and sour milk.

---

Link woke up alone, Roy was gone. He panicked, only half-awake and rolled around in his sleeping bag until he was in a knot and still hadn't found out what had happened to the redhead. He tried to sit up, but couldn't. Then, after he had waked up completely, he thought about his knot and rolled around to the other direction, erasing that dilemma. He crawled out of the tent, looking for Roy.

"Let us sleep!" Young Link said.

"Roy's gone!"

"Maybe he's taking a leak." The boy said drowsily.

"I'm going to go look for him."

"…You shouldn't go alone." The noble said even more drowsily.

"I'll be fine." He assured before starting away from the tents. There was a heavy fog in the air, it was humid, windless. The trees stood still in the forest, some leaning against each other, some standing solemnly alone like leaders. All of them were fighting for sunlight, reaching their tops higher and higher. Grey, ominous clouds were gathering on the sky. He wondered past the small stunted trees as he looked for his beloved.

The air reminded him of his time in Hyrule, before he had gone to Haine to study and become a crime scene investigator and met Roy. Not that he regretted all that, everything but that; he loved Roy with all of his heart, more than he could ever love anyone. Sometimes he just wondered what his life would've been like without leaving the peaceful Kokiri Forest. He had always wandered in the forest at sunset, admiring the nature he felt so attached to. He moved smoothly in the thick undergrowth unlike city folk, he was used to thick moss and long hay, trees' roots stretching themselves out of the ground and going back in. Although he had grown, he had still kept the distinctive feature elves had, agility.

He came to the silent river without noticing it before he fell into it. The riverbank crumbled under his feet like a cookie. Link fell into the cold water, getting all wet as the water embraced him quickly like a beast attacking its prey. He quickly swam on the other edge, feeling like he was swimming in jell-o, thick like porridge. When he got there, he lifted himself out of the water with both hands; it was as if the water was holding onto him like glue, pulling him back into the river with him. He climbed on the riverbank to take a deep breath, the river had really taken all of his strength with it. As he sat there, watching the river flow slowly, he thought about Roy.

The boy couldn't be far, he wouldn't have been so dumb to leave them in the tents and left alone somewhere. It just wasn't like him. He was careful and besides, he had a chance to be with him now, why wouldn't he want to use it? Or had he just decided to go home to Peach all of a sudden, leaving all of his stuff behind him? It just didn't make any sense.

Roy had been there, in his arms when they had gone to sleep. He had held him and he had kissed him, but when he had woken up, the general's sleeping bag had been empty and cold as if he wouldn't have used it in a while. Could he have gotten mad at him because he had hid his tears into his pillow earlier? Link shook his head; if Roy got mad, he didn't stay quiet about it. He made his point very clear and immediately, he just simply couldn't hold it back.

Link looked at the water, letting a sigh escape his lips. The fog around him was starting to clear little by little, disappearing into the air as silently as it had appeared, unveiling the land, freeing it from the night's dark grasp.

The elf just sat there quietly, watching the river flow. His thoughts were on Roy all the time.

"I've been looking for you everywhere." He suddenly heard from behind and turned around to see Roy, leaning against a tree with a smile on his lips. "I want to show you something."

Link was stunned; he couldn't help having an odd feeling. Roy had disappeared and there he stood as if nothing had happened, wanting to show him something, that smile plastered on his face, looking like a doll. He thought he had felt a cold wind whispering from behind the boy. "Roy… I was _looking _for _you._ Where have you been?" He asked, frowning.

"I was taking a walk. Come, I want to show you something." The redhead repeated, the smile never ceasing. He offered his hand, looking pleadingly into Link's eyes like a puppy looking at a person eating a sandwich.

"You were taking a walk? Roy, we're in the middle of nowhere, you could've got lost!" The elf said, standing up and grasping the boy's shoulders. Roy's eyes flashed white, but his smile stayed on his face like a stamp. As Link touched his shoulders, he could feel how cold they were, not at all like real skin. He frowned even more, looking directly into Roy's eyes; the boy just looked at him with that plastic face on his. When he leaned closer, the general followed him with his eyes, but nothing else in him moved.

Link smelled him; he didn't smell at all, there wasn't his own scent around him, only the waking forest's scent. Usually he smelled fresh, it was that one soap he had that had this very unique scent and Link could always tell when he had used it. Of course, only when he got close enough to sniff his skin. Also, his skin seemed oddly pale, it was as if it was glowing strangely, emitting its own eerie light.

"Roy, what's going on?" He asked warily.

"I just want to show you something." The boy answered.

"Show me where the _real _you is, ghost."

"Come with me." The ghostly Roy answered, changing momentarily its shape into a cloud of thick fog, reminding the shape of a human before it took his beloved's form again. Link followed it with certain doubts, knowing that ghosts worked only for themselves and selfishly followed their minds without exception. Link knew this because he had always had an interest in the paranormal and he had always followed fox fires in the forests of Hyrule, even with the risk of his own life.

The redhead held his hand as he guided him through the forest after him. Link noticed that although the ground was very uneven and full of all kinds of stick and rocks, the general moved evenly, like he was walking on a street, simply going through all of the obstacles.

They came to the yard of an old mansion, it rose gloomily in front of them, looking at them with its dark windows like an executor, smiling mischievously somewhere deep in its structures. Some of the windows were broken and the curtains spilled outside, flapping ominously even without wind. All the flowers near the mansion were dead and black; the trees didn't have leaves, only black branches bent over them like a cage. There were no sounds, not even birds were singing.

The general walked smoothly towards the door, holding his hand. As they got closer, his grip tightened and Link grimaced. He tried to get his hand back, but the redhead was holding it too tight. He tried to kick Roy to make him let go, but his foot went right through him. He tried to stop and hold himself still by standing on his heels, letting them sink into the moss, but it didn't matter. He just fell over and Roy dragged him towards the mansion, tightening his grip all the time.

"Marth!" He tried to wake up the noble. "MARTH! Help!" Link shouted, but he had a certain feeling that none of his words escaped from the yard, he was under the crouching trees, inside their wooden cage, silent but still alive, whispering everywhere around him.

The general dragged him up the stairs to the porch and the doors opened by themselves. Roy tossed him inside before he turned into smoke and dissolved completely. The doors banged shut and he was all alone in the dark mansion, laughing silently around him, laughing like a madman.

---

Researcher: She have made profile.

Keeper: Itchy.

Yeah, Moon finally finished my profile. It's almost the same as before, but just… Just read it and you'll know. Thanks so much for reading, I'd love your reviews!

Researcher: Is now Watson Dee come play?

Why wouldn't you have a Twix instead?

Keeper: …Tastyy…


	24. Am Ende Der Straße Part 04 What I'd Do F...

**EPISODE 05: Am Ende Der Straße Part 04 What I'd Do For 200 Dollars**

---

Roy noticed that the man with the scythe and the children had suddenly disappeared. The floor under him was moving, it was so strange. Seemed as if it was taking him to the farthest, darkest corner in the hall. He tried to get up, but could only roll on his stomach. Useless. Then he tried to scream for help, for Link to come and save him, but no one came. And his words were only a mass of babbling, baby-speech.

He had no idea what was happening, why the floor was moving, but in his body he had no way of finding out. It was as if the mansion was getting ready for another victim to come. He stared at the double doors with his large blue eyes so intensively that they started to ache and he had to close them. Maybe it was really getting ready for another victim to enter it, to devour and change the poor victim just like it had changed him. It did make him feel a little safer though, if someone else would come into the mansion, he wouldn't be completely alone and defenceless. Fear was much easier to deal with together than alone.

Roy tried to crawl again, but couldn't. He hated his baby appearance, he couldn't speak or move, the only way he could make himself noticed was to babble or start crying. And he seriously didn't want to do either one, they were for babies, he couldn't sink that low.

And then there was panic in the back of his mind, lurking, hiding in the shadows of his mind. It scared him with assumptions of what would happen to him. Maybe he was going to be left there, into that mansion as a baby and he would starve to death, no matter how much he would scream. Or maybe the man was just getting a new scythe, a sharper one and would come back to cut his head off. He escape seemed hopeless.

He sighed and gave into panic, bursting into tears.

---

Peach was just having her breakfast when the doorbell rang. She looked at the door rather lazily, not really wanting to know who was ringing her doorbell. She got up slowly, leaving her cup of coffee alone on the table as she walked to the door. Next to her door was a mirror and before she opened, she checked that she looked absolutely beautiful.

There was one hair out of place, but she solved the problem by pulling all her hair back into a ponytail. Then she checked again, put her face really close to the mirror and checked if there were any blemishes on her beautiful skin. Gladly there weren't any, otherwise she wouldn't have opened the door at all, not before every single blemish would've been gone.

As she opened it, a brunette stood there, looking at her with his nougat eyes, judging her from her looks. Subconsciously she posed a little for him, something she always did when men had their eyes on her. For a passing moment, only a second they watched each other and judged each other, standing still. Finally she gave him an approving smile and he answered it, but his eyes were still full of doubt.

"Umm… Are ya Ms. Toadstool?" The boy asked, his Australian accent showing clearly.

She lifted one eyebrow questioningly. "Yes, what do you want?"

"Jake told me ya had a little job for 200$."

"What's your name and how do you know Jake?" Peach queried, narrowing her eyes. She had to be extremely careful not to give her little mission to anyone she didn't trust. If Jake trusted someone, it wasn't much. He had trusted _her, _that pretty much explained his foolish trust. But this guy had the looks required for her job… If he couldn't do it, probably no one could, she was getting excited about him although she could see he was a lot younger, probably very inexperienced and a bad lover in every way. Yes, he could be her key.

He had very intense, nougat brown eyes, very confident and smart, sparkling with life. As she gazed a little longer into them, she could see boyish, childish mischievousness. His defiance and confidence could be seen in the way he looked her, he never turned his gaze away, unlike many else would've. He was wearing a jeans jacket that looked a little old, but still fashionable. His hair was almost shoulder length, brown and the edges curved away from his head on the back of his neck.

"I'm Vyse and Jake's me friend from High School. He's a drop-out."

"Come in, Vyse." She said, suddenly sounding very friendly. "Can you keep secrets?"

"If I get 200$ for keeping a secret, ya can be sure I'll keep it." Vyse answered, taking off his jeans jacket and throwing it on the couch as if he was at home. Under it he had a football team's shirt with the name 'Totti' on it. He was wearing old worn jeans, or then they were made to look old and were actually brand new. He followed her to the kitchen, but when she sat down, he remained standing, he stood his legs steadily on the ground apart from each other, his arms crossed across his chest and his eyes sparkled in that mischievous way.

"Vyse, it was?" She asked, taking a sip of her coffee and asking if he would like to have some. He nodded to confirm his name and then shook his head to tell her he wouldn't take any coffee, his hair falling on his face, which he brushed off, looking directly into her eyes all the time, a confident yet childish smile tugging at his lips.

"I need you to sleep with someone." Peach said, watching his reaction very closely.

Vyse let out a small laugh, hiding his surprise to her offer and letting the smile spread. "Is that all?"

"For 200$, that's all you've got to do. Or if you don't want to sleep with him you can just give him alcohol until he passes out."

"Whoa, wait a second." Vyse narrowed his eyes. "Sleep with_ him_?"

"That's why it's 200$." Peach said, giving him a devilish smile disguised to a nice one.

"I knew there was a catch." The brunette turned his back on her, obviously thinking. He could easily get 200$ if he slept with a guy, but did he really want to? He thought about it, it didn't really make that much difference, and besides he had never really been into girls except for his ex-girlfriend who had left him for his best friend. He narrowed his eyes to the memory, but wouldn't let himself think about it. 200$ was a good price _and _he could turn it to his own good.

"What does the chap look like?" He turned back to face her.

"Oh, right. I totally forgot you need a picture to recognize him." Peach said thoughtfully. After a while she ran into her bedroom and fetched an old picture book that had suffered huge damage. Vyse her gave an unbelieving chuckle, but became serious when she glared at him, offended by his friendly laugh.

She sat down round the table again, browsing through the pictures, damaged by coke or coffee very seriously. At times she'd glance at Vyse as if to make sure he wasn't going to run away. She browsed through the whole book at least twice, looking for one good picture, but found none. Every picture of the three guys was blurred, not that she had more than just a few of them from the time she had been with Marth. Finally she found one of the three of them, it was a little blurred too, but she thought it would be enough.

"Here." She said and Vyse came behind her, looking at the picture from over her shoulder.

"Which one of them?" He asked, rather satisfied. He couldn't say much about them, the picture was black and white, taken with some special camera and then smudged by something, probably coffee. Nevertheless, he saw that he wasn't going to deal with a fat old man or a greasy hippie; they were all well-shaped and seemed rather normal. Peach pointed at the one in the middle, he could see that he was wearing a dark buttoned shirt and grey loose pants.

"Make sure these two see you and him together. I'll find out when they're spending time together and where and you'll pop in there." Peach said. "In order to tell you when I'm going to need you, I need your cell phone number."

"Here." He said and wrote it down on her newspaper. "What about paying?"

"You sleep with him first, then I pay." She said, a mischievous smile spreading on her face.

"Fine. Just call me when and I'll be ready." He answered and started for the door before he suddenly stopped. "Hey… Why do ya want me to sleep with him? And why won't ya just ask a prostitute?"

"He's stealing my husband from me. We're getting a child and that bastard's stealing _my_ husband. I need to tell my sweetest that his place is here with me and talking doesn't work. And I can't ask a prostitute because they take care of the job, but they refuse to put up an act." Peach explained. Vyse nodded acceptingly, a smile spreading on his face.

"I understand yer worry." He gave her a childish, happy smile. It shone from his face with a child's innocence. He walked towards the door, grabbing his jacket from the couch and putting it on, rather satisfied that he could get two things at once. That had been why he hadn't asked for more money, if she would've refused to pay, he wouldn't have got what he wanted either.

He smiled to himself, it was only a matter of time now and maybe it could prove to be something even bigger, but before he let his mind think further he stopped it for speculating. He couldn't expect anything, not from Peach not from anyone else. That was the way the world worked and if he kept being the blue-eyed little child everyone called him, he wouldn't survive a day after he left home.

He left Peach's apartment and met Jake waiting for him right outside on the street. With a wide smile he greeted him; they had been very close back when Jake had still been in high school and they still occasionally called each other and met. But it wasn't the same anymore than what it had been in high school, then they had seen every day and shared the same events to talk about, now they were both going down their own paths, having nearly nothing in common anymore.

"Hi, what did she say?" Jake asked, running a hand through his bleached hair.

"She told me that I would get 200$ if I slept with her husband's friend… because they're like a couple or something." Vyse answered, not really wanting to tell Jake he was going to sleep with a guy. He was nervous enough to think about it in his mind; he definitely didn't want to tell anyone what he was going to do. Vyse was pretty sure Jake was going to assume he was going to sleep with a woman because he had said 'her husband's friend' and normally it was a woman and a man when someone paid 200$ for getting them away from each other.

"And you said yes?" Jake asked, his green eyes widening.

"For 200$ I said yes." He answered smilingly.

"Sheesh… I can't help the feeling she's really strange." The mailman said.

"Well, it does seem a little strange having me do her dirty work when a prostitute could do it, but I didn't want to ask any questions. Might lose the money." The brunette said, looking at the cars passing them on the busy street. Honking and screeching was everywhere, somewhere in the distance the police was chasing down someone, the siren could be heard weakly to where they were standing.

"No, I mean what she did to me and what she's doing now…" Jake said. "I've told you about it, haven't I?"

"That night? Yeah." Vyse answered.

"Doesn't it feel odd to you, first me and then this?"

The brunette frowned a little, deciding what to do, considering this strange lady and what Jake had told him about her. "Yeah, it does, but it's not really me business. I might ask from him about the whole thing first and then make me decision. I might as well tell him I was told to sleep with him and I'd get 200$ for it, but I could offer something in return of the same price to him."

"You're a real snake, Vyse." Jake said, mounting his bike and adjusting the mailbag on his back.

"You can't get through high school if you're not a snake." The brunette laughed as Jake left. He watched after him for a while and then crossed the road, ignoring all the cars honking to him.

---

Link stood up, looking around in the dark mansion. It was strange how he had a feeling that someone was looking at him from the darkness, observing him and following his every move very closely, trying to figure out what to do to him. Other than that, it seemed as if everything was completely still, like the time itself had been stopped. As he took a step forward, dust flew in the air and slowly fell down again.

Link frowned as he heard a baby cry in the far corner and walked towards the child cautiously, as if the whole floor was riddled with traps. But the house was completely still, like a painting. And yet still, he could swear it was alive, nothing like a normal house.

He came to the baby and for his surprise, it looked so familiar. He lifted the baby into his hug and the child grasped his shirt tightly with his small fists, looking directly into his eyes with his large, sapphire blue eyes. Link hushed him gently, having the odd feeling he had seen the baby somewhere before, but then again, this whole house was probably only a trick of the ghosts.

He walked to the window, holding the child gently against him and he rubbed his head against his chest, still clenching his shirt tightly. He tried to say something, but it came out as babbling. The dim light filtering through the dirty windows showed the child's flaming red hair and Link gasped.

"Roy?" He asked, not even believing it. It couldn't be that the child he was holding was his beloved, that big-eyed, big-headed, drooling little poo machine was his beloved. He closed he eyes for a second and opened them then again very slowly, looking at the child nodding in his hands with a smile on his face. It groped for his lips, reaching out to them with his little fingers, unable to really grasp anything properly yet. Link let out a nervous laugh, looking at the child with a desperate look. He had actually touched that child in a very intimate way, he had held him near and kissed him everywhere he had been able to and now Roy giggled there in his arms.

"Really?"

"Uh-huh." The child said. "Ink!"

Link sighed, bringing the image of the adult Roy into his mind. He was not a pervert who liked children and the child in his arms was not a real child. Or how could he know. Maybe this was just some child left alone into the mansion and had the same kind of flaming red hair as Roy did, but he couldn't bring himself to believe it. This had to be Roy, no one else had a hair like that and when he gazed into those sapphire eyes, he became more and more convinced that it really was Roy and that something had happened to him. Whether it was the house or some old witch, he had to help him get himself back.

He pressed the child against his chest gently, smiling at him a comforting smile. Then he started to walk around the mansion, looking for some clues of life. Someone had to live there; otherwise it couldn't have turned Roy into a child.

He turned around quickly as he heard rustling in the darkness. There was someone there, not far from him, just standing still now that he had turned around to look. Like the elf he was, he rocked his ears to hear a little better, but nothing was there, not even breathing. Link took a cautious step towards the door, still looking into the darkness, his senses were ringing an alarm in his head, but he couldn't name the danger. After a while of complete stillness he turned around and ran, it was clearly a primitive instinct and it had taken a hold of him.

The man with the scythe came closer, looking at him with burning eyes and although he couldn't see them, he could feel them on his back. He drew quick, panicking breaths as he ran towards the double doors, holding the child close to him. At times he'd whisper something comforting to the boy, but seemed as if it went to deaf ears because Roy was panicking as well, but had no other was of saying it that screaming mindlessly.

"Younger." The man said, raising his hand and he froze, then fell on the floor as if he his foot had been glued on the floor. He tried to get up, holding the child in his arms, but couldn't. As he looked at his hands in panic, he saw how they were getting smaller, rounder. His limbs became shorter and rounder, covered with that innocent fat tissue children had. He screamed, unable to believe what was happening.

"I can't believe this!" He shouted, looking at himself getting younger and younger. "I _can't believe _this!"

And then, it suddenly hadn't happened. He was his own size, looking at himself with wide, confused eyes. Had he seen a dream? Or had it really been real? Unable to grasp the answer he looked around, his eyes meeting for a second's time with Roy's and the child began babbling excitedly, nervously and furiously. The man ran towards them now, his silent steps on the floor booming in the darkness behind him. He was chanting 'Younger, younger, younger" as he came closer, waving his scythe in the air.

As he looked at the boy near him, he saw that Roy was no longer a baby; he was now a child and got older in seconds. It was as if Roy's life was passing before him as the words 'I can't believe this' poured out of his mouth. It was amazing. And so unbelievable.

Then it occurred to him.

It was all about _believing. _

---

Researcher: She want hear thoughts Vyse.

Yes, because Vyse'll become a very important character. Thanks for reading, I'd love your reviews!


	25. Am Ende Der Straße Part 05 In the End of...

EPISODE 05: Am Ende Der Straße Part 05 In the End of Their Road Together

---

"'Ello, hon." Vyse's mother, Anina, said as he came home. He kicked his shoes into the closet with rumble, but he didn't care. Instead he closed the closet's door quickly to avoid all of the shoes falling on the floor form there. Before he got to take of his jacket, his mother popped next to him, holding a bowl of something she was mixing.

"'Ello, mom." He answered, looking into the bowl. "What are ya making?"

"Food." She answered, throwing her brown hair over her shoulder. She gave him a mischievous gaze as she split hairs. She was already nearing her forties, but she had grown older with dignity and wore fashionable clothes for her age; from her Vyse had learned the obsession to follow fashion trends.

"I kind of figured, mom. What food are ya making?" He asked, growing hungry just by the scents spilling from the kitchen next to the hall.

"Mashed potatoes and pig stew!" He heard his father say from the living room, then laugh a little. He glanced at Anina to confirm what his father had said and she nodded with a smile. Her eyes sparkled in a childish way as she nodded. She had choulder-length dark brown hair, always open. She loved her hair and spent a lot of her time to make her hairdos perfect; she said that she was doing it for his father, but he knew that she just wanted to be a little conceited.

Vyse looked at what his mother was doing while he answered to his father: "'Ello, dad."

"'Ello, sonny." His father, Dyne said. Vyse peeked into the living room over his mother's shoulder. Anina walked to the stove calmly, swinging her hips like she always did. When he had once asked why did she do it, she had answered that because she loved the look on his father's face when he saw her walking like that. Back then he hadn't understood, and he still didn't see her as something sexy, but other girls he did. He frowned a little, remembering that he had just promised to sleep with a guy; he had to think about the sexy sides of guys now. He had never given it that much thought, considering that he had never thought he would be sleeping with a guy.

"I'm going to go do me homework now." He said a little absent-mindedly as he headed to the stairs.

"A'ight. I'll call when food's ready." Anina said after him as he ran the stairs up to his room. Their house was a small apartment with two floors in a huge and old row house. Outside it looked like an endless row of houses, built during the 19th century and industrialization. Inside it was small and filled with furniture. Vyse's mother loved to re-decorate their house with all the latest trends in interior decorations, but Dyne stopped her because he loved his armchair and no way did he want to change their furniture every autumn, winter, spring and summer. He liked to keep things the way they were, although he loved to do all kinds of new dangerous things such as hang-gliding and so on.

When one came into their house there was a hall and in the end of it stairs to the second floor, where Vyse's and his parents' bedrooms were. In the first floor were the kitchen and a small living room, the bathroom and showers. The only bad thing Vyse found about their house was that whenever he listened to music, no matter how quietly, it was always too loud.

He opened to door to his room and threw himself on the bed, jumping up and down for a while. His room was small; the walls were covered with different kinds of posters. Next to his bed was his desk, full of schoolbooks and all kinds of junk ranging from videos to clothes. He would've described it as some kind of a trash can. Under the window was a chest of drawers where he kept his clothes. His mother always told him to keep his clothes folded like they were when she brought them to his room, but he was way too lazy. On the floor was a thick dark blue carpet, otherwise the floor was quite clean, he had always liked being able to walk around without troubles; that was why he kept his junk on his desk and did his homework lying on his bed.

Vyse turned around on his back and rested his head on his hands. Peach surely was a strange girl. First she had wanted to have Jake and then she suddenly had told him to get lost. It was as if she wouldn't have wanted him at all, but then again, Vyse knew he didn't know much about Jake or what he was doing these days. There could be a lot more to his and Peach's thing than what he let the brunette know. But then she had told him about her husband, the guy in the picture. Vyse frowned, but it wasn't really any of his business. All he knew was what Jake had told him and that wasn't much since they saw each other pretty rarely these days. Jake had his mailman's job and some other little jobs to do and he went to school, there wasn't much time to be together.

He turned around, looking at his alarm clock. It was a bright yellow clock with a picture of some people on Sesame Street on the background. When he had been a child, he had loved that show, all the jokes they told were so great and then one of them had done all these great magic tricks and then there had been a monster that really wasn't that scary although it wanted to. He smiled fondly at the memory, somehow wanting to return to that time when he had had no problems at all. Or maybe not getting candy had been a problem. But that wasn't relevant, what was relevant was that he had just promised a strange lady that he would sleep with her husband's friend for 200$. That worried him a little although he was excited about it.

It was very suspicious from her, because Vyse thought that if this guy didn't want to be with her, then he didn't and that was it. He should have his own mind and she should let him go. It wasn't fair of her to ask him to sleep with her husband's friend just because he would make him jealous and he'd return to Peach, and besides no one could be sure if it even worked. If her husband and that other one really loved each other, they could simply call or meet and settle it out. On the other hand, he could completely ruin their relationship forever. But would that be right? He didn't know was it right and he didn't want to think about it, only what he would get.

He smiled as he thought about what he would gain in return of selling himself. First of all, he would get rid of something he had wanted to get rid of ever since the first signs of his puberty. Or maybe even before that, he wasn't really sure. He didn't care if he lost his virginity with someone he loved or with just someone, he only wanted it to happen, then he could be even with his friends, tell them about what he had done and how it had all felt. He would be _even,_ he could share his experiences and give them advice or just brag about it, how many hours had they made love and how many times he had come and so on. All that made him smile and convinced him that he was doing a good thing.

"Food's ready, hon!" Anina shouted from downstairs to him. He jumped off the bed, his stomach growling as an answer to his mother as he ran downstairs. His father was already at the table, peeking hungrily into the kettles Anina had brought to the table.

"What's your day like, Vyse?" He asked casually. He and Vyse looked a lot like the same. He had nougat brown eyes as well, but the glint in them wasn't as shiny as Vyse's anymore. He wore casual home clothes, jeans and a dark blue jumper. Anina had hoped he wouldn't shave his beard all away, but he thought he looked younger without one and refused to please her. In return he took her out once a week without Vyse now that the boy was old enough to understand what _really _went on in their bedroom instead of just sleeping.

"Boring. School's always boring, dad. I met Jake though."

"How's Jake doing in that job of his?" Anina asked as she took his plate and started to put food on it.

"Fine, mom. Ya don't need to worry about him." The brunette asked, giving her a smile.

"I can't help it, 'cos he dropped out of school and then became a mailman and mailmen don't earn that much, hon. He and ya used to be so close that he's like a second son to me."

"Like one wasn't enough." Dyne remarked, laughing a little.

Anina shot him a soft, joking stare, ruffling Vyse's hair: "Ya are going to give the lil' one traumas! Poor lil' koala…"

"Mom…" Vyse took her hand off, still smiling, but he didn't really like the way she treated him. To her he was always going to be a little boy, the boy whose diapers she had changed when he had been small, the boy who she had breast-fed during the very first months of his life and that would never change. It wasn't that bad, but he was almost eighteen. And it was pretty embarrassing when she ruffled his hair when he had a friend over, calling him _lil' koala._

Because he wasn't little anymore and he definitely wasn't a koala.

---

The man with the scythe ran towards them, readying his shiny scythe to cut off their heads just as cleanly as it had cut off those two children's heads. More frantically Link started to chant 'I can't believe this' and with every word, the mansion seemed to grow smaller and become transparent. It was as if the whole place had fed off with their imagination, or Roy's more likely, Link had been there less than two hours. Whatever it had done, it had done it with skill, the man was very real and the whole mansion had seemed like an abandoned estate, hidden deep into the woods many decades ago.

As he kept enchanting, not only Roy returned to his own size, but everything slowly disappeared around them, except the man with the scythe. He only raised his scythe higher and higher, as if he was in a frenzy to kill them mindlessly.

Suddenly the floor under them disappeared and all three of them of them fell on the soft moss of the forest. For a while Link and Roy looked around, wondering what had just happened. It had all gone away so fast, so suddenly. One moment it had been there, the other it had disappeared. Like a puff of smoke, it had disappeared into thin air, leaving no trace or explanation. The man with the scythe looked around as well, but he only started to tremble with anger, shouting.

"My children!" He raged, looking at the two with flaming invisible eyes. He screamed one last time, like the death cry of a swan before he ran off to hide in the vast forest, where no one would ever find him and he could keep on sacrificing people who got lost into the forest. Link and Roy were both too surprised and shocked to do anything about it at all, it had all been over so fast that when they realized that they should go after him, he was too far to be caught without reinforcements.

The forest was now full of sounds, ranging from cracking branches to singing birds and from the sound of flowing water to the humming of the wind in the trees. Everything around them was alive, like it should. It was already morning, the fog was gone; it had given way to the bright colours of the day, the green leaves instead of the white fog. Neither one of the two said anything, just looked around trying to figure out what had happened.

Roy couldn't understand any of it. He couldn't understand how a mansion could disappear into thick air, it was simply impossible. He had never believed in the existence of supernatural and he refused to do it now, it was laughable to even suggest that the mansion had been some kind of a ghost, powered by their own fevered thoughts. He went into himself, looking for answers from the psychological point of view, finding his nearing mental breakdown as the reason to the mansion, nothing else. Knowing what was wrong and where it had come from calmed him enough to start actually thinking.

After a while of silence and collecting their thoughts, Link finally said: "Roy, I think I can explain all this."

Roy didn't answer right away. He looked at the moss in front of him with a thoughtful expression, wondering what could prevent his mental breakdown from happening before he answered. "I don't care. I just want to get out of here."

"Aren't you curious to know what happened at all?" Link asked, raising his eyebrows questioningly.

"Well, what?" Roy asked, crossing his hands on his chest.

The elf noticed that the general couldn't probably care less about what he thought, because he had made his mind and he was very stubborn, what he though wouldn't make nay difference, but he decided to try anyway. Just for the fun o fit. He took a deep breath before he started. "Have you ever heard of the Blair Witch? You see, she used to lure children to the forest to cut off their heads and do all kinds of fancy little things she hang into trees to scare campers. Why? Because she got her energy form those who were scared and if they were scared it meant that they believed… That's why believing was such an important part of the whole thing. It was his life force."

The redhead looked at him for a long while without saying anything at all. It was as if he was trying to understand what he had said or find something sensible in it. After a while of waiting for some specification or reason to be this outrageous, he raised one eyebrow questioningly. "Riiight... Can we go home now?"

"Back home to your girlfriend?" Link asked.

"…No." Roy looked away from him, trying to act defiant although Link had hit a very weak spot.

"Then why?"

"I don't want to be here. Ever since you first suggested this, I knew it was a bad idea!" Roy flared up as he thought about it, but got it under control pretty fast. He stood up to leave, but Link wouldn't let him, instead he pulled the pouting Roy slowly closer, against him, watching how the redhead tried to fight against his feelings towards him. He wrapped his arms slowly around him, making sure that he wouldn't escape his hug and only then started. He buried his nose into the red flaming hair, smelling it and kissed it at the same time lightly, moving towards his temples and cheeks. Roy pressed closer as if he was drawing him, he leaned against his warm chest, closing his eyes and letting Link have his way with him. He didn't care at that point, he had survived the mansion, now he wanted to be with Link and love him. He just wanted to give in to his feelings roaming inside him, like a storm inside the clamp's unbreakable shell, he was a mess inside and he knew it. He had to take a hold of the storm, stand in its eye and choose what he would do.

Gently he pushed Link away, avoiding his gaze. Right now he was weaker than ever, he would break if Link would grab him now and press his warm, soft lips on his collarbone. He was afraid that if he would look into Link's eyes he would realize how wrong decisions and how big, forgivable, perfect heart he was breaking. He could almost see the look in Link's eyes although he wasn't looking at him, they were filled with sadness yet understanding.

"Link… I have to take control of my life."

"I know, Roy." Link sighed, sitting into the moss again.

Roy sat down next to him and after a while of blushing and hesitating, took a hold of his hand. "I-it's not like I don't care for you anymore, Link… W-we just can't continue all this… behind closed doors… it m-makes me stressed yet…..." Roy trailed off.

"Yet you enjoy being with me." Link finished for him. "I love being with you, Roy and I'd do anything to keep you, but _you_ make your decisions."

There was a long, hesitating silence before Roy asked sadly as if to confirm it: "…...So, we're through?"

Link nodded solemnly, looking away from him. "This is the end of our road together."

A painful silence fell over them, like a bird it spread its wings and the whole forest quieted as if to let them have the final moments of their relationship together. It was a heart-breaking moment, they could both almost hear as their hearts crumbled away in the river of tears inside them, but said nothing.

After a long while Link finally stood up and pulled Roy up as well. In complete silence they walked to their tents, holding each other's hands, but very casually. It was as a memento of their relationship, dying with each second although the flame of love refused to be distinguished in their hearts.

Marth and Young Link had just woken up and were glad to see them. With a silent contract they decided not to tell them anything about the mansion and the man with the scythe, it was no longer a threat to them. Telling about it would only scare Young Link and then the small boy would keep Link awake at night, talking to him endlessly about flesh-eating zombies yearning for his flesh and monsters hiding under his bed with their eyes glowing red.

They drove to the city in silence, Marth glanced to the backseat at times through the rear-view mirror with a sad look on his face. He couldn't understand what had happened during the time Link had been searching for Roy in the forest, but it had decided their relationship's fate. He had hoped that a trip to the forest, alone with Link would help Roy remember the good times they had shared before Peach had come and ruined everything. He had hoped that their relationship would have grown stronger, until they could no longer be without each other; inextricably linked hearts. He hadn't, of course, thought that Roy would stubbornly hang to his decision of marrying Peach and reject the only thing that made him happy. The noble sighed, shaking his head. It seemed as if there was nothing he could do anymore.

"You can drop me off here." Roy said as they neared Peach's apartment building. Link frowned a little. Looking at his beloved with a fond look, missing him already.

"Your girlfriend lives in the same building as Peach… Poor girl." The elf said sympathetically.

Roy opened the car door as the car stopped, but turned back to Link just before he closed the door. "...Well, it happens to be so that _she... _is my girlfriend." Then he slammed the door shut, watching how Link's mouth opened wide in surprise and his forehead furrowed with anger towards Peach. He watched after them for a while, not wanting to go inside to propose her, but he had made his decision and now his heart would be at peace.

Still, his heart wasn't at peace. It was in the middle of a revolution of feelings, violent and torn in his chest, crying in crumbles now that Link was no longer his boyfriend. It hurt so deeply that he wanted to cry and kill himself, but he was going to have a son. He was sacrificing his happiness to give his child a childhood without worries, love from both parents and a family, a mother and a father who would love him or her with all their hearts.

He opened the door to her building and went to the elevator, pressing the right button. He looked at his feet as the elevator jerked to movement. He let a heavy sigh escape his lips, closing his eyes to gather courage to ask her to marry him. He knew she would say 'yes', but he didn't know could he actually ask her. Maybe he would just crumble before her into a pitiful boy grieving after his one and only love.

As the elevator stopped and the doors opened, he swallowed, trying to smother his heart screaming inside him, but couldn't. The pain was horrible, he didn't believe that anything could hurt that much. Every step felt like he was dancing on daggers, each plunging deeper and deeper into his heels as he went towards her door. He still wouldn't stop. He would suffer for his child, he would go through hell for the baby he was about to have so that he wouldn't have any regrets when he would be older. Before his heart could ask him about regretting the love he had just lost, he smothered it by ringing her doorbell.

As she opened the door, holding a carton of sour milk, he wanted to cry. With her he was going to spend the rest of his life or at least until his child would've left home. With another heavy sigh he greeted her, but wouldn't go in. The touch of the elf's hand on his was still fresh, it felt so warm and so caring, he had been there, next to him, he had seen him for what he really was, he had felt him and seen through his deepest defences, because he had _loved _him.

But all that was now gone.

"Peach…" Roy dropped on his knee, looking at the floor. Peach smiled devilishly, because she knew that now was the moment when Roy would willingly be stepped on by her. He would be her handsome puppet, she could control him with the baby, he could take care of it because she didn't care, the only thing she wanted was to have a boyfriend, a husband, someone who wouldn't leave her.

"My child means to me more than you could ever possibly know. My own childhood wasn't happy but I want to make it back to my own child, therefore…" The final hesitation hurt Roy deeply, saying those words didn't comfort him, seemed as if nothing could anymore. Despite the pain in his heart, spreading to his body, he continued: "…will you marry me?"

Peach acted surprised, inside dancing a victory dance. This was the day when she would stop chasing men and enslave this foolish one with the child she was carrying. "…Oh, yes! Of course I will marry you and we can take care of _our _child _together._"

Roy stood up, giving her a casual hug when she threw herself into his arms. Deep in his mind he tried to breathe out, but his lungs were numb and his heart was dead, his hands were cold and his feet flabby, his body hated him for what he had done, but there was no going back now. The only thought that comforted him was the thought of his unborn child, but it didn't revive his heart and he knew.

He would become a walking distortion of a man.

---

Sad… and poor Roy!

Oh, by the way, Moon started to write a funny article she updates weekly or whenever she wants to, it'd be great if you checked it out and told her a little your thoughts. I also help her with the subjects of the articles. You can find the address to her site from _Panika feat. Pyres_'s profile.

Thanks for reading, I'd love your reviews and visit to the site!


	26. Dors Ma Jolie Part 01 When Ya Listen to ...

EPISODE 06: Dors Ma Jolie Part 01 When Ya Listen to an Aussie (Revised!)

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The general hurried to the couch as they got home with Marth and turned the television on. The prince frowned, he had always thought Roy hadn't given a damn about TV-shows, but people change. He shrugged as he continued to the kitchen to find some food he could warm in the microwave.

"Come on Marth, they're deciding about the boys' fates now!" The general shouted as the prince got two cold burritos from the fridge. Marth smiled, Roy had been keen on the trial lately about the caretaking of two boys. Their mother and father had divorced and both wanted to be the legal parent. But because the mother had done some prostitution and had an alcohol problem when she had been younger, they were about to give the father the rights to the boys. The only problem was that the boys didn't want that. They hated their father, a very busy man, who wanted to take them to Sweden and wanted to stay with their mother. The prince supposed that Roy was reflecting that to what could happen to him with Peach. He walked to the living room and sat next to his best friend, giving him the other cold burrito he had found in the fridge.

"Counsel of the defence is talking now." Roy said absent-mindedly as he took the burrito and started eating it.

"You should take the plastic peeling off first." The noble reminded kindly, biting his lip not to laugh.

"Oops. I guess I'm a little too excited." The general laughed a little nervously as he did what the prince had suggested.

On television a balding man in a dark blue suit walked in front of the jury, speaking. The noble took the remote and turned the volume louder to hear what he said.

"I'm telling you, we're making wrong conclusions, not respecting these boys, not listening to them. A war is going on and they're in the middle of it! Their opinions are kept secret, swept under the rug, if you don't want their best then you have no hearts! Where's the love, oh jury?" The man banged the table, a stern look on his face, then pointed at the mother, who looked at her hands in her lap, sobbing. The boys were sitting behind her between two policemen, sobbing as well. Only the father seemed to be following what was happening, his eyes cold and blue, emotionless.

The defence counsel trotted to the father, looking into his eyes with his brown ones solemnly before he continued: "They said their father only cares about money making. If he's busy who'll protect the boys from the media? Negative images are its main criteria! Infecting the young minds faster than bacteria! Kids want to act like what they see in the cinema! Will he protect them, will he have time from his job? Their mother, although an old prostitute and alcoholic, would care. Instead of spreading hate she spreads love, understands, she's the one the boys want to be with!" He said, looking pleadingly at the judge.

"Now I ask of you, where's the_ love_?"

The noble glanced at Roy, the general was smiling. Obviously he had liked the defence counsel's speech.

"Let's see what the prosecutor says now." He said victoriously. Marth smiled.

"She's an old prostitute, she can't be trusted! She has sold herself to men of all ages in the streets illegally, isn't it disgusting, isn't it wrong?"

"_Merde!_" Cursed the mother quietly.

"Who knows if all of the boys' thoughts are fed to them by her, she has trapped them in their rooms, possessed them with her poisonous mind until the snakes of her speech flow in their veins like poisonous lead--"

"Objection!" The defence counsel stood up, glaring at the prosecutor. "Slandering, Your Honour!"

"Sustained." The judge said solemnly, no emotion flashed on his face, not even a muscle moved.

"She has a prostitute's past, once she has been one, she will always be one! Is a place of paid sex the real home for these boys?" The prosecutor ended, turning around on his heels and returned to his seat, next to the children's father, Börje.

"He should have a heart attack and die." The general said.

"Judging by what she used to be is wrong." The noble agreed in his calm way. The jury went to decide. He could feel butterflies flying in his stomach like maniacs, making his insides twist very unpleasantly, but when he thought about what Roy must have felt, his situation could be a lot like this, he wanted to pat him on the back encouragingly.

The general looked sadly at his engagement ring shining in his finger like a chain to Peach, he felt like there was a small camera in it following his every move, alerting her every time he was doing something she wouldn't approve. It constantly reminded him of her in its beauty, catching his eye and feeling on his skin all the time. He put his left hand into his pocket to forget her, to hide the ring that made him feel so chained. Although it was gone then, he could still feel its grip around his finger, reminding him of the grip Peach had around him with their child.

He didn't see the noble's eyes on him, watching how sadly he had looked at the ring, frowning. His plan of the forest had gone totally wrong, Link and Roy had broken up no matter what and the redhead had proposed to that bitch. He had called Link last night from his room and tried to come up with something together with him, but everything seemed hopeless, Roy had made his mind and it would stay. He was going to marry Peach for his child and live happily, or more likely unhappily with her until death.

The jury came back and announced their decision. The boys were to go to Sweden with their father because their mother was irresponsible and could not be trusted with children. They, too, had forgotten that past is past and some people get better. The redhead looked at the television with sadness blurring his eyes. He somehow related to it so completely, Peach would take his child away from him if he tried to leave her and just like the mother, Cosette, he wouldn't be able to do anything at all.

Before he got to drown more into his sorrow and memories of Link, yearning for his touch and hearing his voice, Marth suddenly asked:

"Would you like to go out tonight?" Truthfully he wanted to get the two together more often and what was better than having Roy drunk when he was open towards Link and the elf might figure out some way to prove that the general couldn't live without him.

"Uh…" The redhead answered, glancing at him quickly. "Sure."

"Good." Marth answered. He pulled the general on his feet and towards the door, giving him his cell phone:

"Call Link and ask him to come with us."

"Marth, I…" The redhead hesitated, looking at the cell phone with a thoughtful expression. He wanted to see Link and wanted to be with him, but he knew that if he went out with him and Marth, something might happen. Otherwise it wouldn't have mattered to him, but he was engaged; the ring constantly reminded him of it.

"Go on. Peach will never know." The noble encouraged his friend.

"It's not about Peach…" Roy said, turning his gaze to his feet. "…I can't do something that selfish."

"Selfish?" Marth asked, stunned by what the general had said. "It's not selfish to be in love!"

"I am _not _in love!" Roy glared at him, his expression serious. Accepting his love towards Link was hard enough; he didn't want to hear about his feelings from someone else as well as from Link. The noble smiled mischievously at him without saying anything before he disappeared to the corridor, leaving the general alone into the apartment with the cell phone in his hand.

Roy knew he had to think fast; Marth was waiting for him in the car. He wanted to call, but he was getting married. He thought about the soft lips, the warm touch, those fingers gliding down on his skin, sending dazzling feelings into his spine. As the memories gushed to his mind, the touches were touched and the kisses exchanged again. He lifted the phone to his ear, almost calling, but lowered it then, sighing.

Suddenly the phone rang and he answered it quickly, a little scared.

"Hi, honey!" It was Peach. He sighed, closing his eyes. It seemed as if the engagement ring was strangling his finger at that moment and he wanted to throw it away.

"Hello." He said unenthusiastically.

"What are you doing today?" She asked, her voice almost bearable.

He was slightly surprised by the friendly tone of voice she had and decided to answer for once. "I'm going to Der Narr with Marth and Link."

"Okay." Peach said and closed the phone. He stared emptily in front of him for a while, not really knowing what to do. And even more, not understanding why Peach had called him only to ask where he'd be tonight. It was indeed very strange of her, but she was going to be his wife, he had to get used to the thought of her knowing what he was doing. Then he sank back into his thoughts about calling Link and should he.

Peach was pregnant with his child, he was about to become a father, he could no longer think about his own good, he had to think about his son's or daughter's best. As he thought about it, Peach was pregnant on her third month, he had six months time to settle down and get ready to be a father, responsible, thoughtful and caring. He dialled Link's number and called quickly before he could change his mind.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Link, would you like to come out with me and Marth?" The redhead asked quickly.

There was a long silence until Link said: "I thought we--"

"So thought I." Roy cut him off.

"Apparently Marth doesn't." Link laughed. "And I don't mind."

"…Yeah. We'll pick you up now." The redhead ended the call and ran down the stairs, his heart running before him, jumping in joy as it went. When he came out of the building, he smiled and he couldn't be serious; he was going to be with Link. As he neared the car, Marth started it. He climbed in and the noble smiled knowingly at him:

"I wasn't sure would you do it."

"I guess I like him… a lot." Roy admitted, blushing.

They picked Link up and drove to the parking lot of Der Narr, a bar with their own band, where Link and Roy had celebrated for the first time. Memories gushed into their minds, but only Link had the guts to say it out loud.

"Marth, do you have some special reason for this place?" He asked.

"Not really." The noble chuckled. His and Link's eyes met through the rear view mirror for a second and they both smiled mischievously. Until Roy's and Peach's wedding Link could try to change the general's mind although they weren't even together anymore.

As they got in, Link slipped his hand behind Roy's back fast and pulled him close to him. The general didn't realize what had happened before the elf was pressing his head against his chest and that hit him right in the soft spot and he let himself be hold, wanting to purr in his beloved's touch. Link held him close with a tender smile on his lips, wanting to turn back time to Cosworth Street when everything had still been all right.

After a while Link had to go to the bathroom and Roy walked to Marth at the bar desk. He didn't know that Vyse stood by the door to the bar, he had been on his way home from a friend's house when Peach had called him to get his butt to Der Narr. She had told him that her husband had come back to her, but there was a slim chance that he would return to his boyfriend again so the offer was still valid. He was watching how he and Marth were standing at the bar desk, talking something and laughing at times. They seemed to be having a great time together. But what he really liked was Marth's looks. He had seen the picture, but he had never thought that he would be so good-looking. He smiled to himself as he entered the bar.

In the picture there had been three guys, all smudged, but still three. Maybe the redhead had gone out just with his boyfriend tonight, which seemed to be Marth. Why else would they stand so close and talk to each other like that and so on? Vyse was pretty sure it was the blue-haired man he needed to sleep with, but there was a certain voice in the back of his mind whispering that something was wrong.

Marth sat at the bar desk, looking at his drink with a sad expression. Roy hadn't drunk anything, he had said that because he would become a father he would need to have control over himself and stop drinking and partying. He sighed heavily, noticing from the corner of his eye that someone sat next to him, ordering a drink.

"Drowning yer sorrow, huh?" The one who had sat next to him said.

"Huh?" Marth lifted his gaze from the table to see a handsome brunette and he felt a wave of happiness gush through him, it was an emotion that lasted only for a second, but it was so powerful that he wanted to kiss him right away. He held himself back, explaining that he had a crush on that boy, and it had flared on the first second their eyes had met.

"Drinking doesn't solve problems. I if anyone knows that." The boy said, ordering a drink.

"What are you trying to drown then, despite of what you said?" Marth asked, smiling a controlled smile.

"Me ex. He left me for a girl." The brunette said sadly, taking a sip and grimacing right after it. "And I never even saw the signs."

"I'm sorry. The same thing happened to my friends." Marth answered, returning his gaze on his drink.

"It did?" The brunette asked. "It feels good to have someone who knows what I feel like. So, what happened?"

"They didn't realize they belong together and the redhead's getting married with a girl he hates. The blonde next to him is the one he belongs with." The noble showed the boy the two dancing on the dance floor, awfully close, but awfully apart as well. It was clear they were trying to be only friends.

"They must be very close to ya if ya care this much." The brunette said with a smile. A hint of uncertainty had creeped into the back of his mind when Marth had said something about the redhead's marriage. He wasn't sure was he supposed to sleep with the blonde or with this prince he was talking with, but trusted his memory.

"Mm-hm. Sadly, there's nothing I can do anymore." Marth said sadly. "What happened to you then? You said you never even saw the signs… what do you mean?" He asked gently. The stranger was intriguing and indeed very handsome. Something in him reminded him of Roy, yet he was so different with his bright, childish nougat eyes. He had a wild brown hair descending almost to his shoulders, on the back of his neck the ends curled away from his head. He was slender, very thin, but not too thin.

"It was a party. I went there with me boyfriend and he just disappeared. After a while I started searching for him. Then I found him with me best friend in the bedroom." The brunette kept a small break. "Later he told me that we're too different and should break up. I was really sad and… here I am." He ended his story with a false smile. His eyes clouded and he looked at his glass, letting the sad expression spread on his face.

Then he turned his gaze on Marth again, trying to smile.

"I'm as bad as fake me advices are. I'm Vyse." The brunette laughed and stuck out his hand to shake hands with him.

"I'm Marth, as bad as advices make me." The noble shook his hand with a smile. They both laughed, feeling how the laughter somehow relaxed them, removed all the tension. Or then it was the alcohol getting into their heads.

After a while of talking this and that Vyse drank all of his drink, as if he was in a hurry and for a while Marth thought that he would leave so fast, right now when the prince was starting to want him to stay. He grabbed the brunette's arm, looking into his widening nougat eyes with a pleading look. He seriously wanted him to stay, he wanted to get to know him better and see him again. They looked into each other's eyes for a long while, Vyse with a confused expression as Marth looked at him with such pleading. Then he decided, now was his chance, now or never.

Quickly he took a step next to the noble, slipping his free hand behind Marth's neck and pressing his lips on his, holding his eyes tightly closed. After all that was done, he stood completely still, not even breathing, waiting for the confused noble's reaction. He was sure that even his heart had stopped, waiting to be accepted or rejected.

A confident smile spread on his lips as Marth answered his kiss. Slowly he could feel the noble's hands crawling up and down his back and he tightened his grip around him, exploring his mouth at the same time. After a while Marth pulled away and Vyse looked into his eyes with a questioning look, hoping that he hadn't done anything wrong. Marth only looked at him for a while with a tender smile and then pulled his lower lip before kissing him again.

They didn't see Roy and Link watching them with smiles on their faces. They were holding each other close, yet still apart. They both wanted to be much closer, but knew that Roy had a golden ring on his finger that really was like bars between the two of them, it was the beginning of his journey to hell.

"Marth finally found someone." Roy said then, smiling as he watched Vyse and Marth kiss. Secretly he was jealous because he and Link could've done the same, but the ring and his upcoming wedding were pulling them apart. And he needed to get a grip of his life, he could no longer be seduced by Link every time they were alone, he had to let his mind, his senses do the thinking, not his heart.

"Maybe he'll now let you ruin your life in peace." The elf answered sarcastically.

Roy's smile disappeared and he heaved a heavy sigh, avoiding Link's gaze. Link had hit a weak spot very knowingly, intending to make him think.

---

I tried to make it better, but I don't know if I succeeded. I've got a high fever, my head spins like a cradle, I've got to eat some bacteria (scary) and the antibiotics my doctor gave me are as big as a truck, how has anyone been able to swallow them? Anyway, I hope it became better and if it didn't, I have time to write it again today once more because I can't leave the house, I can't even walk the dog! I AM BORED out of my mind!

Anyway, talking about diseases and such, I'm going to take a vacation after the next part. I'll update it on schedule, but after that I won't update any of my stories in at least a month, but I'll try to come back before Christmas.

Thanks for reading!


	27. Dors Ma Jolie Part 02 Hands Down

EPISODE 06: Dors Ma Jolie Part 02 Hands Down

---

Marth slammed the door shut behind him with his foot, holding Vyse's head in his hands, nibbling his lips and kissing him slightly all the time. Vyse answered his kisses as much as he could from his excitement, trying to hold him close and get his clothes off at the same time. It wasn't hard because Marth was wearing a white, thin buttoned shirt and under it a dark blue top, all easy to take off even for his inexperienced and nervous hands.

Marth's hands found his skin, his waist surprisingly fast and his hands were warm, they examined his body with care and certainty that can come only by experience. He pressed closer to those strong arms, offering his body to him and letting himself be touched everywhere, his heart racing in his chest nervously. Sometimes he forgot to touch Marth in return while feeling all those new, tingling, crackling, thundering feelings in his spine and let himself fall totally limp in the noble's arms. When Marth took a hold of his hand and put it around him towards where he wanted to be touched, he woke up from the trance-like state and answered until the pleasure was too great.

At some point Marth stopped and looked into his eyes. He looked back into his eyes with a pleading look, a look that was full of fear yet so excited he thought he was going to blow and the noble took him into his arms and carried him to the bedroom, smiling at him gently all the time. He answered his smile with his own, but it was nervous as his heart. He was not going to run away, this was his chance, he was going to take what he had been waiting for so long.

For Vyse it didn't matter how fast or slow it happened, he just wanted it to happen. Then he would be even with his friends, he could understand what they spoke about and could tell what his experience with a mysterious, older stranger had been like.

As Marth lay him down on the bed, he breathed in for luck, breathed in so deep, he knew the air was blessed Marth shared with him. The night would be wild, yet calm and dull, their hearts would race.

His hopes were so high that he thought that Marth's kiss could kill him. He wanted that if he would die of excitement, he wanted it to be now, so that he would die happy. He gave his heart to the noble to fill or burst, to break or bury or wear as jewellery. Which ever he preferred.

Afterwards their words were hushed as they just lay there, undiscovered. He was safe here from all the questions; such as 'did you get some?' Man, that felt suddenly so dumb. It didn't belong to anyone else what he had experienced that night in the noble's arms, what feelings and doubts he had been through. He didn't want to tell anyone about it, it was between the two of them. All he wanted was for Marth to stay quiet, stay near, stay close so that not even the silence of the room could hear them.

No matter what, the morning came, dissolving all of the night's soft feelings with it, purifying the air and to Vyse it seemed that it was over, that maybe now Marth would want him to leave because he had got what he had wanted to get; after all he had been only a one-night shag. He gazed at the sleeping noble, smiling to the memories of last night. It had been the best night he could ever hope to remember, he would always remember the sound of the quiet stereo on the background, the dim of the soft lights from the living room, the scent of Marth's hair as he had buried his nose into it and the time on the clock when they had realized it had been so late.

With mixed feelings he waited for Marth to wake up, he knew he was falling in love with him because his skin tingled even by the thought of him, his body could still feel him everywhere, he could hardly think about anything else than him. But he was so scared, he was so scared that he was giving away his heart and he didn't know would Marth accept it or not. Maybe he would, maybe he would just tell him to get his stuff and scram or tell him softly he didn't want to see him ever again. The noble moved slightly, obviously waking up.

"G'morning." Vyse said from beside Marth as he woke up to see into the boy's nougat eyes. The brunette smiled before cupping his cheek with his hand and looking into his eyes with sparkles in his owns. He was clearly excited; something made smothering a smile impossible to him, but at the same time while his eyes sparkled, there was hidden fear in them, lingering in the nougat sea.

"…Morning." The noble answered, pulling Vyse closer and hugging him. He was even more slender than what he remembered from last night, but it didn't matter. Marth held him close, feeling that odd, warm tickle when love is sneaking from behind a corner. But he wanted to be careful with Vyse; he knew hardly anything about him. To be honest, he only knew that his name was Vyse and that was all. He ran his hand down the brunette's spine, tasting his skin quickly with a well-placed lick right behind his ear. He could feel the wave of pleasant chills running down Vyse's body under his fingers; it made him smile.

"Are you hungry?" He asked gently, not wanting to sound anxious to be with him, but not wanting to sound reluctant to be with him either.

"A little." Vyse answered, holding him tighter against him. "But I'll survive if ya let me stay here." He was wondering would Marth now tell him to leave or something, he had been kind enough to hug him and ask if he was hungry, but he had not said the three magical words that would lay his heart to rest.

For a long while they were both quiet, just lay there in each other's arms, Marth was slowly waking up and Vyse waited. His wait seemed like a lifetime, he could hear the clock ticking on the wall and it was so loud and it was so slow that he thought he would go crazy. He didn't want to let go of Marth, not after everything he had felt with him, not now, not ever. He wanted to hold him close, hear him say those three words into his ear – they would be only for him. Then it came to him, why didn't he say it? Why wouldn't he tell Marth that he was falling in love with him? Marth could reject him, but at least then he could be in peace, he could get his stuff and leave. Then it would all be over, he would never give Marth a second thought, but if Marth would tell him he was feeling the same… he didn't even want to think about it. He had to wait for the worst.

"Marth…" He called gently, caressing the blue hair.

The noble turned his head immediately, looking into his eyes with a tender look. His hand trailed up his spine, it made him feel so good and so cared. But he had this to do, no matter how much he wanted to escape it.

"Marth, I think… I think that I'm falling in love with ya." He said, slowly, clearly.

A smile spread on the noble's lips, it wasn't jeering, instead it was caring, loving. "I really hope so. I don't normally do one-night relationships."

"Me neither." Vyse tried to calm down his racing heart. Marth had not told him about his feelings and that had been what he had wanted to know in the first place. "Are ya feeling the same?"

The noble chuckled, then kissed him for a long while, touching him again. When he stopped, he looked directly into his eyes. "Ever since I saw you last night, I've been falling in love with you. I just don't know when I'll reach the bottom."

That made Vyse's day.

---

Meanwhile Roy was sitting in Link's bed, looking at his feet with an unbelieving look in his eyes, he couldn't believe his self-control had failed _once again. _He didn't know how or why he had ended up in bed with Link, he had been completely sober the whole evening, he hadn't taken a sip of alcohol, yet he had been completely defenceless to Link's soft lips and his strong arms.

The elf sat up next to him and put an arm around him, looking into his eyes with worried eyes.

"Are you all right?" He asked softly, turning his head towards his with his index finger.

"No." Roy said, finally their eyes met. Link was taken aback as he saw how sad those eyes really were, Roy really regretted sleeping with him. His eyes were like a sea of tears hidden deep inside; he was probably very unsatisfied with himself now that he had proposed to Peach and promised himself and Link he would never sleep with him again, and there they were, last night freshly in their minds. He pulled the boy close, the sadness catching into him as well.

"Roy, don't take it so hard." He said comfortingly. "No one's perfect."

"But _I'm _getting a _child!_" Roy looked into his eyes with a furious look, mixed with desperation before he hugged him tightly. Link knew he had lots of things on his heart he needed to talk about, but what Roy wouldn't mention, he wouldn't either. They had separate lives now, it didn't matter if they crossed once or twice here and there, but Link couldn't involve himself into Roy's life anymore. He had made his decision, nothing would change his mind and Link knew he had to accept being only a friend.

And that, now wasn't that hard? After all those kisses and cuddles and hugs and licks and touches and words and moments together, how could they possibly be only friends? He couldn't just let go, forget all that and leave it behind like nothing had ever happened. Because _everything_ had. All he had ever wanted had been in his arms, had slept there, had given himself to him and now, he had been stolen from him. Link held him tighter against him. It just wasn't fair that Peach got pregnant and forced Roy to marry her and destroy his own happiness.

Link found one tear escaping his eye, but wiped it away quickly, pressing his head against Roy's shoulder to show him that he cared and he was always there for him. He could feel how the redhead pressed closer against him, sighing heavily from both longing and regret. He kissed him lightly on his neck, holding him tightly against himself, holding back his own tears. The closer he held Roy, the more impossible it felt to let him go, the more the love tore his heart apart.

As if to lighten the mood, Roy asked suddenly: "Do you think the children really went to Sweden with their father?"

"Let's turn the radio on, it's ten o'clock and there should be news on." Link said flatly, looking into Roy's eyes, searching desperately for an eye contact to see the same pain he was experiencing to ease it, to know that someone else was in pain as well, but Roy avoided his gaze.

"--The police are at standstill in Raccoon City… The trial of Cosette Bruyere versus Börje Bruyere ended in the victory of Börje Bruyere last night. Mrs. Bruyere was supposed to bring the two sons to the airport for Mr. Bruyere's plane to Sweden before 7 PM, but she never showed up. The searches for Mrs. Bruyere and her sons continues, soon involving even the S.F.B.I... City counsel Tabermann's recollection has been published this morning. Already over 500 copies have been so--"

Link turned the radio off. "Amazing. I would've never thought that she would go as far as taking her sons as hostages to keep them."

"Admirable", Roy said thoughtfully, resting his head against his chest, feeling a little awkward. "Do you think we'll have to go to work today?"

Link rested a hand on the general's head, curling strands of hair around his finger. "On Saturday? Pfft. They wouldn't do that to us."

"I wouldn't be so sure." Roy said, sighing heavily. Part of him felt happy for the boys' mother, she could spend a while longer with her children, but then again, she would have to give them to their father eventually. If not voluntarily, then by force. Roy didn't even want to think about his situation. He had proposed to his wife-to-be not long ago, and here he was, in his ex-boyfriend's bed, last night more than freshly on his mind and body. He had cheated on his fiancée, maybe she would never know but he did and it bothered him because to him a perfect father had only one in his mind along with his children; his wife.

"…Link…" He said softly, trailing his finger up Link's arm. "Do you think I'll be a good 't you ask her for an abortion?" He asked cautiously, skipping the subject carefully because he didn't want to say what he thought. He knew that abortion would take Roy's mind off his fatherhood even for a while and he wouldn't ask him that question again.

Roy didn't answer in a long time, probably thinking or then holding back his anger. Maybe he was against abortion, Link didn't know but he had had to suggest it anyway. Roy sighed before he answered: "It would be a murder. I would not only be a bad father but also a murderer."

Link sighed again. Roy was right, in case the baby was already alive and conscious of the world around him it would be a murder and it would bother him the rest of his life if he killed a child whose life had only just begun and who hadn't yet even seen the sun.

Before he got to answer, the phone rang and he reached out to answer it, seeing from the corner of his eye how Roy had flinched, looking at the phone with wide eyes. He brought the phone close to him so that Roy could also hear what the phone call was about.

"Hello, Link." Their boss said solemnly. "I need you to the headquarters, and call Roy to be here as well, no one answers at his place."

"All right, boss. We'll be there as soon as we can." He said as he put the phone back to its place. "You were right, they want to drag us to work on Saturday."

Roy smiled a little, trying to get up, but Link pulled him into a kiss. His eyes widened in surprised again, but when he realized he was kissing the one he loved, he gave into the pleasure, taking a hold of Link's head, answering his kiss with all he had. The elf was close to him now, now he could kiss him and hold him but when he'd leave his arms he wouldn't be able to touch him anymore. Maybe never again, he knew he needed to let go of Link, but it was so hard.

They arrived to the headquarters at eleven. There was a chaos. The whole SFBI was looking for Cosette Bruyere, searching for all kinds of clues about her whereabouts. A young girl ran accidentally into Roy, dropping all her files on the floor. He helped her gather them together, murmuring about how he had wanted to stay at home. He hadn't really wanted to stay at home, but in Link's bed no matter how bad it sounded. When she had got all her papers she thanked him for his help and continued her way. A few seconds later Roy heard her bump into someone else again. As they walked the empty corridor towards their boss's office, Link quickly slipped his hand into his, pressing it tight to show him that he cared.

It felt like a flashback, almost dejá-vu to Roy. It hadn't been long ago when Link had always slipped his hand into his when they had been walking to somewhere together. The only difference was that back then he hadn't known his feelings and had rejected Link every time, now he decided to make it back to him by pressing his hand tightly as well. Link smiled as he noticed Roy's grip and their eyes met, the general blushed, everything was just like back then before any of this had happened.

Boss sat in his leathery armchair, going through some files on his computer with a focused expression on his face as they entered his office. He turned his gaze to them and smiled a tired smile.

"I'm sorry to have bothered you on Saturday." He said, smiling.

"It's alright." Link said quickly.

"What's going on?" Roy asked although he knew. He wanted to get all the information he could get about Cosette Bruyere.

"I don't know if you know this, but for the past few months the Bruyeres have been fighting over the caretaking of their two sons after they divorced. The father, Börje, wants to take his sons to Sweden with him when the mother wants them to stay here with her and the boys seem to want to stay here as well… Anyway, the final trial was last night and the Jury decided that Börje should take the children with him to Sweden because Cosette has a whore's past. The boys had been staying at her place during the trial and she was supposed to take them to the airport at seven last night. She never showed up, she called Börje and told him that she would fight for her sons and her sons' rights to make their own decisions." Boss sighed. "It's a difficult situation, seeing that the boys want to stay here, but the Jury decided that they should go with their hated father to Sweden. I can't say that Cosette did the wrong thing when she 'kidnapped' her children, because she's only protecting their rights."

"Indeed." Roy agreed, thinking about his and Peach's situation. If he ever took a divorce of her, she'd take everything from him. Money didn't matter, but his child did and he didn't want to lose his unborn baby, the light of his life.

"However, our opinions don't make a difference." Boss said sadly. "We're the S.F.B.I. and people trust us to do our work."

"But couldn't there be another trial, one more?" The redhead asked, feeling how the pain clenched his heart as well.

"No, that was the final one. I think the Jury decided wrong, but it doesn't matter like I already said. We have to find Cosette Bruyere and bring her to justice and let the children go with their father."

"Do we have any clues about her whereabouts?" Link asked, more and more interested in the case. But on the other hand, he didn't want to help the S.F.B.I. to find her, because then she would lose her sons and they would lose their beloved mother. He knew that it would've been better just to let her go, give the children to her if the children wanted that, they were old enough to make their own decisions. No jury was needed in their decisions.

"Yes. She made her phone call to Börje near the Plaza, but we doubt she'd be there anymore. We've sent agents to all of her friends' houses, but she hasn't been seen. A shopkeeper reported to have seen her at the docks this morning with her two sons, buying food."

"What should we do?" Link asked, thinking that maybe he and Roy would be lucky to find her and somehow help her. If they couldn't help her keep her children, they could at least avoid her going to prison.

"Roy, you need to make a profile of her. Here's the information we've found on her so far", Boss patted a thick pile of papers on his mahogany desk. "Link, you're good at field work, go down to the docks and ask everyone about Cosette. Someone might have seen where she was going to."

"We'll get to work then." The Hylian answered, already leaving. Roy went to Boss's desk and grabbed the pile of papers with a sigh, following the elf out of the study. In the empty corridor he trotted next to him, gazing at him sadly. He had hoped that they could've been working together, but this was a big case, partners didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was that Cosette would be found, no matter what.

"Roy, if we find her before the others do, maybe we can help her somehow." Link said, not looking at him.

The general sighed. "Like there was be something we could do. We're helping Börje take her children away from her, that's all we do and it's not the right thing."

"But if you and I find her first we can make up a story with her to avoid her going to prison. Maybe she could talk to Börje again and he'd let her see the boys every now and then?"

Roy shook his head sadly. "Someone so cold-hearted that he can take his children away from the place they feel as their home against their will doesn't really seem to have a heart."

"You may be right." Link admitted. "But we can always try."

"Whatever." The redhead answered, his expression was sad. Silently they both knew that they couldn't change the Jury's decision, what the Jury decided was final and couldn't be reversed.

They came to the disastrous hall and Roy stopped at the computers, searching for a free one. Link continued towards the doors through the mass of running people to go to the docks to ask everyone about Cosette. Roy watched after him for a while, hoping that he would've stayed with him and they could've done the profile together in peace and quiet in their own small office. There they could've worked and maybe even ki--

You're engaged. His subconscious reminded him maliciously and he sighed. He hung his head, feeling anger towards himself. He wanted to cry, but now wasn't the time, now he was at work and he needed to forget his personal matters.

He sat down at a computer and started to read the papers Boss had given him. There was everything about Cosette on them. What she had done as a child, what she had loved and hated and how her father's death had affected her and her family. Her mother had been a home mother, unable to support her children. She had moved to her sister's where Cosette had grown up under the iron fist of her mother's sister's. When she had been fifteen, her mother had told her that she could no longer live at home if she couldn't make money. Lost, she had asked her uncle for advice and he had told her that he would give her money if she let him touch her.

Roy closed his eyes for a while. It was horrifying how gross people could be. He was her _uncle, _he was paying her for touching her like she was some kind of a hooker. It had been wrong of him to ask her for it, but he gave her his understanding because she hadn't had a choice. He deduced that she was a very sacrificial person, ready to help others even with the risk of damaging herself both mentally and physically.

For a few years she had got money from her Uncle until her mother had died and her mother's sister had thrown her to the street. She hadn't wanted to go to her Uncle's home because she hated him for what he had done and so she had started selling herself. She had bought a small house from the outskirts of the city where she had taken her gigs, they had had their way with her and paid for their fun.

The general didn't approve of what she had done, but considering that she had no education she didn't have any choice. He was still on her side, because she had fought for her life and done it the best way she could.

Then Börje Svensson had come to her life. At first he had been only a gig just like anyone, but then he had asked her to marry him and stop worrying about money. She had married him for the money to get a better life, they had got two sons, but then Börje had decided to take divorce from her. A trial had taken place and Cosette had lost. Now she was hiding with her two sons somewhere in town.

Roy put the papers down, thinking. She seemed to be the kind of a person who really cared for her children and their well-being. And considering what she had been through, she was a good mother, no matter how much a hooker she had been.

He got to work, hoping that Link would find some clues and they would find her before the rest of the S.F.B.I.

---

Vyse groaned as his cell phone started to sing in the pocket of his jeans jacket somewhere in the living room. Marth wouldn't have wanted to let him go and he hadn't wanted to leave, but on the other hand he was curious to know who called him. The prince held onto his hand until he was too far, looking at him gently, but he just ran off to answer his phone:

"'Ello?"

"Vyse, where ya been? I and mom've worried after ya like hell!"

"Oh, dad… I… Uh… I went over to Juri's for the night. We were out so late that I thought I wouldn't wake ya two up by coming home at three AM", Vyse lied, standing naked in Marth's living room. In the bedroom Marth chuckled, not really knowing why Vyse was explaining where he had been last night and more importantly, why to his father? He concluded that Vyse did look a little younger than he did; maybe he was still living at home, studying at the university or something.

He listened to the brunette speaking to the phone with a brisk voice, smiling to himself. He had been lucky as hell to have met Vyse last night and made love to him. He had noticed Vyse being a bit of an amateur, but he was flexible and honest, said exactly what he was thinking. He had also been lucky to have had him fall in love with him; because it was always so awkward to wake up next to someone he didn't love and then try telling them that they had been only one night relationships. With Vyse, he could just get up and go there and if he wanted, he could carry him back to bed to repeat everything from last night.

It sounded like such a good idea that he actually got up and went to Vyse. The brunette hugged him back, but kept on talking on the phone. He placed his lips on his neck and kissed him, hearing how Vyse drew a quick breath, keeping a break in his speech. Instead of pushing him away, Vyse pressed closer, explaining something very absurd to the phone as an excuse to get to be alone with him.

"Yeah, yeah, all right, dad. I'll be home before two." He said, clinging tighter and tighter to Marth, wanting to be touched by him again. Because that would mean that it was no longer a one-night shag, then they would've had a relationship, no matter even if Marth wanted to throw him out, despite of what he had said. But he didn't really believe Marth was going to leave him, it was just a small doubt somewhere in the corners of his mind, dissolving away as the noble kissed him. He ended the phone call and threw the mobile phone to the floor on top of his jacket, dedicating himself to Marth.

---

Peach sat at her kitchen table, reading the day's paper. She had called Vyse last night and told him where he would find Link, the brunette had probably already taken care of him. If Roy had seen the two of them like she had advised him, he would be heart-broken and completely hers. He wouldn't want to see Link ever again.

She smiled as she took a sip of her coffee, grimacing because it was too hot. She had now made sure that Roy was hers, it had been a dirty trick, but she had got what she wanted. Now she could forget that idiot, Jake and his foolish little friend, Vyse, who had helped her to get the man she wanted. She would also need to make sure Roy and they would never meet, because Jake was the kind of a person who just blurted everything out like the way it was and she didn't want that to happen. Also Vyse was a suspicious person, she didn't know could she trust him about being quiet about her little plan. She hoped that she could pay him silent, maybe 200$ a month would help him keep his little mouth shut.

In the paper was an article about the trial that had been on last night. She read it quickly, not really caring about the mother's feelings, she knew justice had decided what was right and what was wrong and a hooker wasn't a good mother. She hoped the S.F.B.I would find her and give the children to their father; that was the way the jury had decided and that was right. She trusted the justice system strongly, whatever they decided, it was right. And besides, the mother had been a hooker, how could an ex-whore take care of her childr--

The doorbell rang and she snapped out of her thoughts. Wondering was Roy there or maybe even that little brat asking for his money, she got up; putting her coffee mug on the table. As she walked towards the door, she hoped that it was Roy, crying because Link had slept with someone he didn't know. Then she could comfort him and pretend that she was sorry, but secretly tie him to her so strongly that he would never be able to break her chains around him.

As she opened the door, her jaw dropped. For a while she couldn't believe her eyes, it was unbelievable that something like this could happen. It wasn't Roy and it certainly wasn't Vyse, this was someone she only knew from the paper she had been reading.

Cosette Bruyere and her two sons stood at her door, looking at her with pleading eyes.

---

What a cute chapter again. And long too. Uh… Anyway, I'll take a vacation of some sort until I decide to come back and write. I'll try to come back before Christmas.

Researcher: She infected.

I hope you understand. Check out my website at times, I might write something there too.

Thank you for reading, I'd love to hear what you think!


	28. Dors Ma Jolie Part 03 Lil' Koala Swings ...

**EPISODE 6: Dors Ma Jolie Part 03 Lil' Koala Swings That Way**

---

Vyse felt stupid for promising to his father to come home before two. He had been having the greatest time of his life with Marth, he didn't definitely want to go home. The morning had been great, Marth had been so nice to him, he had been gentle, loving, all the things he had always wanted his first to be like. Maybe the prince had guessed that he had been a first-timer, maybe it had been so obvious from his nervous movements. When they had finally dressed up to get some breakfast they had got to know each other a little better, talked about various things. At first he had felt a little awkward because he had been a bit unsure of what Marth liked and wanted to talk about because he was older than him, he had been afraid that they wouldn't find anything in common.

After they had made love again in the morning, they had been lying on the bed, watching each other with gentle smiles. Marth had run his hand down his side, touched his lips with his fingers, kissed and cuddled with him. It had been so perfect. He had pulled him so close that he had felt his heart beating in his chest, holding him tightly against himself just to be sure that he wouldn't go away.

"Why did you talk to your father on the phone?" Marth had asked.

"He was worried about where I've been the whole night." Vyse had answered, nuzzling his nose into his neck.

"You live with your parents?"

"Yeah…" He had said a little sadly.

Marth had frowned a little, but held him tighter. "…How old are you?"

Vyse had felt a lump in his throat. The noble was surely a lot older than he was; he had had no idea how he would react to knowing how young he was. He had wanted to lie his age, but if he had done that he knew that when Marth would've got to know his real age he would've been twice as mad to him than what he might have been when he would've told the truth. "I'm seventeen." He had said, almost shyly.

The prince had gasped, letting go of him and taking a little distance to him with wide eyes. For a while he had been looking at him with confusion and… Vyse hadn't been sure, but it had seemed like he had been disgusted by him. It could've been his imagination as well because he had been nervous about the situation, but whatever it had been, Marth hadn't been too pleased with his young age. "S-seventeen? H-how--? Why--? H-how were you in that bar then?"

"Fake ID", Vyse had said sheepishly.

Marth had shot him an accusing glare, but hadn't been able to keep it and it had softened very quickly. "Aren't you a little too young for that sort of thing?"

"Do ya think I'm too young?" The brunette had brushed a few strands of hair out of Marth's face just to touch him.

"I… I don't know." The noble had answered, taking a hold of his hand. "I'm a lot older than you, that's what concerns me more."

"Oh", he had answered, looking away from the prince. "How old are ya?"

"27." Marth had kept his eyes on him, watching his reaction very closely. His eyes had widened, but then again, the noble had seemed a lot more mature than him. But not a whopping ten years!

"Wow…" Vyse had said with awe, turning his gaze back on his beloved. "But it doesn't bother me."

Marth had smiled, pulling him close again. "I'm too fond of you to bother about your age."

Vyse had smiled contently, wrapping his hands around the prince again, glad that it hadn't mattered. If it had, he would've been home a lot earlier, his heart broken and weeping in his chest.

Now Marth just drove silently next to him, focusing on the traffic completely. Vyse looked at him, smiling fondly. He wasn't only a great personality; he had a great body and a beautiful face as well. He wanted to touch him just once more; he wanted the good feeling to run through his spine once again before he would exit the car, return to his every day life where nothing like this ever happened.

When the noble stopped the car in front of his house, he looked at his feet with a sad expression. Even if he gave Marth his phone number, the prince might never call him. Maybe he was just too kind to tell it to his face. He smothered his weak subconscious with the thoughts of the morning, how Marth had touched him and looked at him so gently. Vyse played with his cell phone to win time, to be with the noble a little longer.

"Do ya want me number?" He finally asked, probably waking the noble from his thoughts.

Marth smiled at him, reaching a hand around him to pull him near. "I already thought you'd never ask."

Vyse kissed him then, holding his head in his hands. "I don't want to go home yet."

"We can meet later today, can't we?" Marth asked, caressing his back.

Vyse nodded, smiling. "Yeah. But still... I want to be with ya."

Marth gave him his cell phone and he saved his number to his phonebook, leaning his head against his shoulder all the time with a smile curved on his lips. When he had saved it, he gave the phone back to Marth with yet another kiss before he climbed out of the car.

"I love ya." He said as he closed the door, smiling at his beloved. The noble smiled back at him before he drove away, leaving him alone on the sidewalk, standing among the pedestrians walking past him in pursuit of their own goals, whatever they were.

---

"What do you want?" Peach asked, glaring at Cosette Bruyere.

"Please, let us stay here for a few days… We have nowhere to go." The woman begged, looking at Peach with her dark brown eyes, hidden behind her curly corn-yellow bangs. She had her hands on her two sons' shoulders, holding them near her. The boys had the same pleading look in their eyes as their mother, but their eyes were bigger and filled with tears of the pain of needing to run away from their father.

"You're a stupid bitch. The boys were meant to go to Sweden with their father, not to stay here with you." Peach answered coldly, looking at her with icy eyes.

The boys flinched by her coldness, burying their faces into their mother's shirt. Cosette glared at Peach with flames in her dark eyes, her hands curling into fists as she tried to keep her cool. "They don't belong to their father. They don't want to be with him because he's violent! They have been brought up here and they have friends here, they shouldn't be taken away from the country they know to be their home!" She said almost desperately. "Lady, please, we beg of you! Please, even for a few hours!"

Peach didn't move an inch. She glared at the woman standing at her door. It was none of her business to care about someone else's sons, give them food and clothes and all that. She wanted them to leave because they couldn't help her at all. She had never even imagined that something like this, a fugitive, to come to her place... where she would call the police... and become rich...

_Wait_, her subconscious said. _There's a bounty on her. _

In a flash her face changed. She smiled as beautifully as she could, taking a tender look in her eyes. "I'm sorry, I've had a bad day and all this came as a big surprise. Please, come in."

Cosette raised one eyebrow, but decided to trust her anyway. "Thank you. You're most kind."

When she got in and the door to Peach's apartment closed, Link opened the door in the ground floor, shuffling into the corridor. Quickly he looked around to see was Cosette there, was she climbing the stairs or just watching him from the shadows, but he couldn't see or hear anything. He had come to the building following people's leads, he had asked everyone he had met, some of them had really seen a woman with two boys walking towards Peach's apartment building.

Link almost pitied Cosettefor being so easy to track. Of course she wasn't used to being tracked and had no idea of what to do when someone was looking for her and she needed to hide, but she had made it almost too easy. The elf checked the elevator, no one was there when it arrived.

He wanted to call Roy to tell him that he was nearing her, butfinding herwas a lot more important than telling Roy that he might be nearing her, because if they found Cosette before the rest of the S.F.B.I. they could try to help her, she could ask for Roy to be her personal psychiatrist and that way they could come up with a plan to make the boys stay in the country.

Link decided to start investigating the apartments from the top, but as he passed Peach's apartment he noticed that it was open and voices spilled into the corridor. Had the poor bastards gone to Peach's apartment and were now tortured by her? He felt so sorry for them as he slowly opened the door to see inside.

And there she was, Cosette Bruyere, drinking coffee with Peach. Subconsciously Link hissed at her, narrowing his eyes because she had stolen his one love from him by getting pregnant. It had been ingenious of her, but it was so wrong to Roy who had to struggle with his feelings and his family, his past and his present. The elf took a deep breath before he entered the apartment.

It had been easy to find her, now it would take a lot to get her out of Peach's reach to safety.

---

After a while he turned to walk into his home, feeling somehow empty inside. He knew he was emotionally weak right now that Marth had just taken away one of his biggest problems. Although it had been a nuisance, it had still meant a lot to him now that he thought of it. Somehow he knew he would always be grateful for having met Marth that night and made out with him even if it had been only for 200 dollars. He was glad that he hadn't lost his virginity to some bully at school following him to the bathroom and raping him there, but to Marth who was gentle and loved him, not only his body or whatever weird things rapers liked.

He opened the door, seeing his mother in the kitchen, putting the day's shoppings to the fridge. His father was in the living room, reading the day's paper enthusiastically. He greeted the both of them and they answered, but before he was about to disappear into his room, he hesitated. He would need to tell them what he had really been doing, because if they called to Juri he would say that he hadn't seen Vyse after school. Then he would lose his trust towards his parents and thus never allowed to go anywhere.

He walked to the kitchen as quietly as he could, avoiding seeing his father.

"Mom, I want to tell ya something." He said, glancing at his father quickly, making sure that he hadn't heard them.

"What is it, hon?" Anina asked, smiling at him like he was five years old, telling her about the frog he had found in the ditch nearby.

"Can ya come to me room?" Vyse said and saw how fear flashed in his mother's eyes. Quickly he noticed how suspicious he had just sounded and corrected: "Nothing to worry about."

Anina smiled. "Good. I'll be there in a few minutes. I'll just take the Lasagna from the freezer."

"Why from the freezer? Ya are not going to make food today?" Vyse asked, hoping that she and his father would go out to have some fun. If they left home it wouldn't matter if he stayed there either and therefore he could go round Marth's place. How perfect that would be!

He walked into his room, quietly in the stairs for once. Something made him really nervous although he knew that his mother wouldn't be half as shocked as his father. It was obvious that they were both going to be a little shaken by what they were about to hear, but if his mother spoke to his father before he would tell it to him he wouldn't take it half as bad. She knew how to handle Dyne, ever since the two had got married he had been wrapped around her finger, as long as she asked nicely he did anything for her.

He opened the door to his room and sat on the bed, looking at his feet. It was difficult to tell his mother about being gay. It was hard to tell her that he was gay because… he had never heard their family talk about homos or lesbians before and now it would be a part of the ordinary day. He took a deep breath, wondering how he should start, should he just blurt it out or try to tell it to her between the lines or only hint about it. He tried to calm himself by the thought of them loving him, they had always loved him and they would always love him, no matter had he slept with Marth and had wild sex with him or had he slept with a girl and had wild sex with her.

"What is it, hon? Ya made me almost shit me pants down there." Anina opened the door slowly and walked to his room, sitting on the bed with a motherly worry in her eyes. She dusted off her dark violet shirt and black dress as if she had come to the dustiest place on earth, subconsciously implying that she wanted him to clean the room.

"It's nothing that bad, mom." Vyse tried to laugh, but it came out as a nervous wheeze.

His mother pushed a few strands of her brown hair behind her ears, smiling at him knowingly. "Ya've been me little ankle biter for seventeen years, and still ya expect me to not know ya? I know when ya have drama."

The brunette looked away from his mother, clenching his fists with nervousness. "Mom…"

"What? What? What?" She asked as if to lighten the mood. He liked her just because of that; she tried to lighten the mood everywhere and usually she could do that by just being herself; saying everything in the Australian direct way of saying, facing every day with a bright attitude. She was one of those people who could make someone's day just by smiling at them.

"…I'm no virgin anymore." He went directly to the subject, knowing that it was useless trying to avoid it now that he and his mother were alone in his room. She wouldn't let him get off-subject because she was worried and although she was trying to hide it, it was still there in her eyes.

"That's great news! Me lil' koala's a big boy now!" Anina pulled him into a strong, almost manly hug all of a sudden. She seemed to be very happy about the news, but it didn't help Vyse's racing heart. The worst part was still on its way. It was just a matter of time when she would ask the question. He hugged her back as strongly as she hugged him, frowning with the nervous feelings inside of him. He took another deep breath, forcing his heart to calm down.

"Who's the tinny girl?" She asked and although Vyse had been expecting the question it still got him off guard.

He felt the hardest part blocking his throat but wouldn't let it stop him. He had decided that he would tell his parents about last night and nothing could stop him now. He closed his eyes as he answered: "…There's no girl involved."

His mother's grasp weakened instantly as if she would've been repulsed by what she had heard but realised at the last minute that this boy was her son and she needed to stand by him even if he was queer. She was completely motionless for a moment, like a statue before she hugged him again. "…Not every guy likes sheilas, don't worry. I'm so happy for ya!"

It was Vyse's turn to be shocked. He had expected that she wouldn't take it as hard as his father, but it seemed like she was taking it easily that her son was queer. It was like he had told her that he liked cherry pie instead if apple pie. Simple as that. No more apple pie for you then, Vyse. When he recovered from the shock, he hugged his mother back. "Thanks, mom."

They were like that for a while then, just holding each other, both wondering what the other was thinking about. Anina was still processing what her son had just said. She had always waited for the day when Vyse would've brought a pretty girl over and they would've been so in love and all that, but now he had just broken that dream like it had been nothing but a soap bubble. He was in a sexual relationship with another man, God only knew how long they had been seeing each other or just how twisted were their ways to make love or express it in any way. She tried to convince herself that gays were just as normal as heteros, they just liked each other, there wasn't anything kinky or dirty in that. It was love just like any love. It was just between two _men. _

Vyse held his mother close, his own thoughts racing as well. He had no idea what her real thoughts were but at least she wasn't screaming at him or denying it from herself like so many others would've done. She accepted him even if he liked boys. He wanted to tell her how gentle and loving Marth had been and how many new feelings he had made him feel, how he had touched him in a way no one had ever before, how he had spoken to him and listened to him, _loved _him. Still he held himself back because he had no idea what her real thoughts were and he definitely didn't want to tell her anything that might make her think of Marth as some pervert, taking advance of young boys. That wasn't true. True was that Marth loved him.

Suddenly as if the fire alarm had rung Anina took a hold of her son's shoulders, looking directly into his eyes. "So, who's the tin-arsed boy?" Her tone of voice was motherly gentle, but also demanding.

"Mom…" Vyse said with a scolding tone, looking away from her. The choice of her words, although he knew it to be only the Australian accent, made him feel uncomfortable.

"What?" She looked back at him with wide eyes until she realised what she had said and burst to laughter. "Oh, but he really is a tin-arsed boy!"

Vyse joined her laughter as well; it was somehow relieving to laugh after he had told her something as shocking as being queer. All the tension seemed to disappear into their laughter like a nightmare dissolves in the first rays of the morning sun. Also, laughing was the perfect way to escape his mother's question a little longer, because he didn't want her to know that he had done it for pathetic 200 dollars for a jealous bitch, falling in love at the same time with the one he had been seducing. Thinking about the money made him feel so cheap, like a whore, but without that deal with Peach he wouldn't have met Marth and meeting him he didn't regret at all.

"Who is he?" She asked again, wiping the tears of laughter in the corners of her eyes away.

"Ya don't know him." He dodged the question, hoping that she would let the matter drop.

Anina raised one eyebrow. "Name?"

"…Marth." He answered by length.

"I like his name. Tell me a little about him." She continued. Vyse knew that it was important for her to know whom he had spent the night with and especially when he had lost his virginity to him, but somehow he wanted to protect Marth from his parents. It wasn't that he didn't trust them; it was just a little hard to talk about his first time sexually with someone, it was something that was only between him and his beloved. It was their little secret.

"…Well, he's kind and gentle. Blue hair, blue eyes. A little taller than dad. He's not too fashionable though, but I'm not looking for the perfect guy." Vyse said, smiling at her.

She smiled back at him with motherly tenderness. "Why did I scare the living daylights of ya?"

"Because being queer isn't one of the easiest things to accept." The brunette answered, wanting her to leave now because she was getting too curious about his stuff. It was enough that she knew he was queer, she didn't need to know anything more.

Anina hugged him again. "I'm glad we can talk, koala."

"Me too, mom." He said flatly as he hugged her lazily with only one hand, smiling a little. He really liked his mother, especially now she had showed him how important he really was to her. Accepting someone who's gay is difficult, Vyse knew that and that was why his respect towards his mother only grew. Then he remembered that he also needed to tell his father, who definitely wouldn't take it as lightly. "Mom, can ya talk to dad and try to make him understand?"

"Sure, hon. We'll be going to a restaurant with Dyne, I'll talk to him there." Anina said, getting up to leave. "I got to go to put me make-up on and the dress that drives yer father wild." She winked with a cheerful smile as she left, closing the door behind her.

He quickly got up and opened the door: "Could I go to Marth's place if ya aren't going to be at home either?"

"Sure, lil' one. We can drive ya there."

"Beaut!" He said as he went back to his room, throwing himself on the bed. He closed his eyes, dwelling in the memories of last night and couldn't help the smile curving on his lips as he thought about Marth.

He took his cell phone from his pocket and put it next to his head so that he would surely hear it ringing, because he really wanted to see Marth again, he wanted to feel him and touch him and hear him and talk to him and everything he could do with him.

He really wanted to be his boyfriend.

---

Sorry there wasn't much of crime and stuff here, but I just wanted to write a little about Vyse & Marth because they're such a cute couple, the next chapter will be more entertaining.

Anyway, thanks for reading, I'd love your reviews!


	29. Dors Ma Jolie Part 04 Sorry to Ruin Your...

**EPISODE 6: Dors Ma Jolie Part 04 Sorry for Ruining Your Life**

---

Link got into Peach's apartment, looking around carefully as if there was a dragon hiding in there somewhere wanting to eat him. He stopped when Cosette turned to look at him, her smile had been dead for a while already, certain darkness dwelled in her eyes. Her hair hung on her face like a dead rat after rain. She wore a dark red buttoned shirt with black pants, she certainly knew how to dress.

"Umm, hi." He said, desperately trying to find a way to tell her that she needed to get away from Peach as soon as possible.

Before Cosette could answer, Peach glided in front of the door leading to the living room, looking at him with a storm in her eyes. "What brings _you _here, elf?" She asked with a jeering tone in her voice.

"I'd like to talk to Cosette." He answered simply.

"You work for the S.F.B.I., how can I be sure that you're not going to arrest her and take her sons away from her?" Peach asked, speaking in a very loud tone to make sure the woman in her living room heard them arguing. As Link glared at her she just let a devilish smile curve on her lips. It told him to eithe back off or engage in battle.

"It's surprising that you take someone's side." Link answered coolly, getting ready to battle her verbally. "So far I've never seen you think about anyone else than yourself."

"You haven't seen me much since high school, how do you know I haven't changed?" She answered.

"I _love _Roy." Link said defiantly, lifting a fist on his heart as if he needed to show her that he had a heart there. He still didn't raise his voice; he knew that sounding perfectly calm and collected would annoy Peach more.

"What a perfect reason to come and arrest Cosette. Take her sons away from her to ease your pain; that must make you feel good." She accused him with that devilish smile on her lips. From her eyes he could see that she was enjoying herself. Well, he thought, as long as everything went the way she wanted. Behind her Cosette stood up, calling for her sons quietly.

"I'm not here to arrest her but to talk to her about her _chances of keeping_ her sons."

Peach snorted scornfully. "Sure, I b--"

"Please, Mr, tell me." Cosette pushed Peach out of the doorway with one strong hand, looking at Link with her dark brown eyes, now filled with hope. Link flinched as well, it could prove fatal to push Peach away like that. He glanced at Peach quickly, who stomped to the kitchen and he could almost see the stormy cloud above her head, thundering like hell. He chuckled internally, but wouldn't let it show to Cosette, not even a little.

"The thing is that I _was _really sent after you by the S.F.B.I…" He watched the dark brown eyes narrow. "_But _I want to help you. I'm going to take you to a cabin at the outskirts of this city where you can meet a psychologist friend of mine. He's on your side and I'm sure the two of you can work something out." He explained quickly. She was indeed stronger than a normal woman, but how much stronger, he didn't want to find out by aggravating her.

Cosettesighed. "How do I know Peach isn't right about you wanting to arrest me?"

"You don't. You just have to trust me. If you stay here some other officer will come and arrest you anyway, you won't lose anything." He shuddered. If she really wanted to stay there he couldn't do anything about it, she would be caught, her sons would be taken from her and she would be thrown into jail because she kidnapped them. He knew that she realised that as well, but he had no idea how she was going to handle it.

She looked at her sons with a thoughtful look on her face, wondering what she should do. Somehow her trust towards Peach had never been strong, but she didn't know how to be to this… elf because she had never seen him before or anything like him. He stood at the doorway with a beige pullover, on the chest was a simple logo painted with red. He had black jeans; in his pocket was a small handgun, small enough to hide into his pocket as a large keychain. The way he wore his long hair on a ponytail in the back of his head confused Cosette the most. He was an officer in the S.F.B.I. and yet he had no dress codes in his occupation, he could wear his hair long and any kinds of clothes he wanted to.

It sure seemed odd. She had always thought that S.F.B.I. officers had suits and badges they carried around like in that one show she had once watched… X something… She couldn't remember the name completely. Trusting to someone without any signs or proof about his profession was just foolish. She couldn't know though, maybe the elf really worked for the S.F.B.I., maybe he really wanted to help or maybe he was sick enough to want to take them as hostages as well. She narrowed her eyes, it could be that she was being paranoid, but she had all the reasons.

And even after all that, she really couldn't say what he wanted. Staying at Peach's place would mean that she'd get caught eventually; going with him might free her. And although she was scared for her sons she decided to trust him and said:

"Yes. Take me to the cabin."

"Thanks for trusting me. I really want to help you." Link said gratefully, flashing her a smile.

Cosette called for her two sons and they came, looking scared and tired of running away. Still they had blind trust in their eyes, they were really hoping that the elf could save them; make their father give up on them. He gave them an encouraging smile as they passed him. Cosette took the boys into the corridor, but Link hesitated. He saw Peach looking at him with hatred in her eyes, hating her even more. She had probably had a perfect plan once again to get Cosette to the police, but he had ruined it. Oh, how good it felt to ruin one of her plans, mess one of the spider's webs!

He was about to leave, but something made him stay. He turned to look at her with a devilish smile, wanting her to know how much he had enjoyed watching her plan crumble in front of her. Something like this didn't happen often, it was making it all the more delicious when he enjoyed it a while longer. "Sorry to ruin your evening." He said jeeringly.

She smiled back at him with the same kind of smile, for a while she had been defeated, but she wasn't going to give up so easily. If she couldn't beat him about Cosette, she could beat him with Roy: "Sorry to ruin your _life_."

Link flinched. Could it be that whatever she had done to get to know that it annoyed him? It was as if she was trying to ruin _his _life through Roy, using him only as spawn in her little chess game of revenge. He tried to think of something he had done to her, but couldn't remember anything. "I don't know what your motive to get Roy is, but ruining his life completely shows that you have no heart and can't feel any remorse for your actions."

"Oh, I have a heart. I _love_ him." She said almost innocently. "That's my motive."

"He _doesn't_ love you back." Link answered scornfully.

Peach let out a small laugh, maybe to win time in their little verbal argument. "He doesn't need to. He just needs to adore me and he will."

"Only until he realises how much he actually hurts himself." The elf said, reflexively throwing his hands in the air. His blood was starting to boil. It was so wrong of her to use Roy. He was defenseless against his unborn child, without that there was no way she could've ever been able to pull him away from him. Link clenched his fists, it was so unfair.

Peach patted her stomach where her child grew with a fond smile on her lips. "He will be mine forever because I know what strings to pull."

"I hope you burn in Hell." Link said before he disappeared into the corridor with Cosette, closing Peach's apartment's door with a bang. He took a deep breath, wanting to go back inside and strangle her. It would be so rewarding to watch her struggle for her life just like Roy did, watch how she would beg for mercy to save her pathetic, horrible life. She really didn't see anything wrong in ruining Roy's life by forcing him under her boot, to her it was probably just normal to make boys squirm in front of her. Maybe she had first only wanted Roy, but when she had seen the chances of hurting everyone around him as well she had took it and crushed Link's and Marth's hearts as well. The only one she hadn't had her hands on was Young Link and Link was going to protect him from her, no matter what.

They got out to the lively street and Link took Cosette's hand as if they were a couple. That way matching her descriptions from different passers-by would be a lot more difficult. Link guided her towards Pyri Park, a beautiful park in the middle of the city, most of the old people loved to go there because it was full of trees and many kinds of flowers, almost like a forest with small paths, but still only a park. Link wondered that maybe the old people loved the park so much for the illusion it gave; the sense of forest. It was refreshing to walk through a park, especially Pyri Park.

They walked towards the park in complete silence. Link didn't want to strike up a conversation since he knew she was nervous and needed to concentrate on acting perfectly cool. If he started speaking to her, she might panic and it would all be over. Not only for her, but for him too, because he was helping her, not catching her like he should've.

As they got to the park, Link heard a familiar voice from behind. It had been a while since he and Young Link had seen each other because he had been so busy and Young Link had liked to stay at Granny's. They both won; she loved to bake and Young Link loved to consume whatever she baked. He was about to turn around to say hi, but then thought that maybe Young Link would feel that it's embarrassing that his caretaker starts talking to him all of a sudden in front of his friends or maybe one of his friends might blow Cosette's cover.

"Man, that was so cool!" One of Young Link's new friends said with excitement.

"Yeah, Ness, sure he was cool, but did you see Leonardo when he cut those two ninjas in half?" Another boy said, probably even more excited than the first one.

"Yeah! I'm so going to be like Leonardo when I grow up!" Young Link said.

"Me too!" Ness declared. Link glanced at them, noticing that they were all normal-looking kids, nothing to worry about. The one they had called Ness looked very athletic. He wore shorts and a t-shirt with a matching cap. The last boy whose name he hadn't heard yet had dirty blond hair, just as wild as Young Link's. He wore dark blue jeans and a grey shirt with some kind of an emblem on it.

"I want to be Donatello. He's got cooler moves than Leonardo!" The last boy said.

Young Link waved his hand as if the boy hadn't got the slightest clue about what was cool and what wasn't. "Roan, Donatello's not even half as cool as Leonardo!"

"He's cooler!" Roan said defiantly, making some Kung-fu moves.

Young Link narrowed his eyes as he answered: "No, he's not!"

"Oh, yeah, he is!" Roan continued.

Ness thought of a quick way to end the fight before it had even started: "Let's stop that passer-by and ask him!"

"Alright!" Roan and Young Link said in unison. They were obviously friends again; the quarrel was losing its importance. After all, did it really matter which Turtles is the coolest?

"Hey, you! Who's cooler, Donatello or Leonardo?" Young Link said, rising his voice enough to reach Cosette's sons. She stopped immediately, swallowing hard. Link glanced at her, he saw how fear lived in her eyes, fear of losing the two most important things to her. He put a hand on her shoulder to get her attention, the dark brown eyes turned to look at him, she was really freaking out. He found himself thinking that maybe she was even too worried… and if she was too worried of losing them, just how far would she go to keep them?

Without wanting to think about it, he whispered that he knew the boy, it was alright.

Cosette and Link turned around and the older one of Cosette's sons took a step closer to the boys, answering: "Rafaello."

"No! Leonardo's coolest!" Young Link said. "And hey, Big." He said as he noticed the Hylian.

"Hi, kiddo." Link answered with a soft smile.

"Donatello." Roan said knowingly. It was like philosophers talking about the meaning of life. What is life? How do you describe life? Where does it come from?

Cosette's son looked at him with fierce eyes. "Rafaello!"

"Donatello." The boy said.

Link and Cosette started to laugh. It felt relieving, like sunshine after a horrible storm. Link couldn't help hoping that Roy would be there with them, hearing the laughter. Although he had agreed to be only his friend, it was probably never going to happen. They couldn't just be friends after everything they had gone through together. How could they be friends if every time they were left alone they acted like a couple?

He sighed, it didn't help Cosette to think about Roy right now: "Aren't they all a team after all? Can't you agree that the Turtles _are_ cool?"

There was a long silence between the boys as they thought about what he had just said. "…Oh yeah…"

"Yeah… I guess we could do that." Roan said thoughtfully.

Link smiled. "Good." He looked at Cosette, but saw someone familiar behind her. He had seen the boy somewhere, but where? Something in him was so familiar, he had seen him somewhere recently, maybe even only a few hours before. His mind brought him the memory of Marth kissing a brunette at the bar, remembering the boy then. Before he took a step to go to introduce himself, he saw Peach come to him, smiling as she came.

"Everyone, let's walk that way." He said quietly, wishing to hear a bit of what they were talking about.

Cosette gave him a confused look, probably wondering why did he want to listen to those two talk. He gave her an apologising look, trying to smile. He knew it was risky to stay in Pyri Park, but he needed to know what the brunette wanted from Peach. Was he just another victim of hers, just another fallen to her web?

As they came closer, they heard Peach say:

"You probably want the money, huh?" Link frowned as she said that. Had she paid the brunette to seduce and sleep with Marth purposely, it hadn't been just coincidence that two lonely souls had happened into the same bar at the same time and got on like a house on fire? Link's jaw dropped. That guy had only been working for Peach, not caring about Marth's feelings at all? Had hetaken advantage of Marth's loneliness cruelly to achieve whatever goals Peach had had...? The elf could feel his blood boiling in his veins when he realised how wrong it was to _help _her.

But even if he thought about it, he saw no connection. That was so unlike Peach. She always had a goal, she always knew how to achieve it and she achieved it, no matter what it took. This guy sleeping with Marth didn't match the pattern, because he knew her goal was to get Roy marry her. It had nothing to do with the noble, not in any way. Or maybe she was just planning the next step in her vicious dance of chaining Roy and destroying his life.

"Yeah." The brunette answered, looking at her with sparkling eyes. Link glared at him, hating him so intensively all of a sudden.

"Did you make sure he saw you and him together?" Peach asked, narrowing her eyes. It was clear to Link that she didn't like the guy she was talking with, maybe because they had planned the whole thing together and she wasn't sure could she trust him completely. The devil inside him laughed, because she could never be sure that her plans were going to work and when someone would betray her, but at the same time, his heart cried in agony for losing Roy.

"Yeah, I'm sure they did." The boy said.

Peach took her wallet and gave him 200 dollars, saying something quietly so that Link couldn't hear them. It had probably been about him since the boy turned his head a little, glancing at him before nodding to her. Her and Link's eyes met and in her eyes was such devilish joy, such pleasure for hurting him. It made him feel so angry because there was nothing he could do about anything, he was forced to watch as Roy let Peach dance on him, torture him, play with him as she pleased.

Link took Cosette's hand roughly, pulling her behind. She flinched as he acted so quickly, letting out a scared gasp. Link hadn't heard her, he didn't hear or see anything at that moment. He was so mad that his whole vision was red, so broken that he thought he might just fall over after any step and die. Nothing hurt him more than watching Roy walk his road to darkness when he had already seen the light, he had already been happy. Why couldn't he realise that he had had whatever he needed? He had had love and caring, kisses and hugs as much as he had been able to take.

He walked Cosette to his car, without a word he opened the doors and let her and the boys on the backseat. In his mind he could only think about what horrors Peach had in store for Roy. As hestarted the car, he wanted to rip the wheel off and kill someone to calm himself down. He wanted to go crazy.

Then he got it. He didn't need to be crazy. He just needed someone who _was_.

---

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Vyse:Her Chrissy prezzies for ya are the one-shot _Waiting for That Special Christmas_ and the story _Cerulean Skies_. Read them if ya got time.

Marth: Let everyone around you know you care.-grabs Vyse-

Roy: Don't leave anyone alone. -lets Link hug him-

Link: Kiss and hug a lot. -kisses Roy-

Researcher: Hug…?

Keeper: Tasty hug.

-group hug!-

Then the storyteller threw a piano on them for being so mushy.

Thank you for reading, I'd love to hear your thoughts!


	30. Dors Ma Jolie Part 05 Mirror Of Things T...

**EPISODE 06: Dors Ma Jolie Part 05 Mirror Of Things To Come**

---

Roy sat at the computer, looking through the files of Cosette, trying to see an opening or a mistake before going to present it to his Boss. Actually, he was just memorizing it all because he had planned to escape into a bathroom and call Link to ask how he was doing, give him hints if he hadn't found her yet.

When he was just about to leave a blonde girl walked to him, smiling as she came. She sat down at the computer next to him, putting her coffee mug on the reports he had carried there with him. He watched the cup closely, hoping that it wouldn't leave any nasty circles on his papers when she suddenly said:

"It's exciting to have someone new around here."

"Oh. I haven't heard anything about that." He said, slightly confused that she'd talk to him.

She smiled. "I thought Boss would've told you first since the new one's coming to work with you and Link."

Roy's eyes widened. Why would Boss want to make their perfect duo a stupid trio? Why would they need an extra person when they were doing a good job on their own as well? "Why? When did you hear this?"

"Oh, just a while ago. He's some genius, seriously. Top grades in everything." She waved her hands as she spoke. "Chill something. I can't remember the last name."

"He sounds… ummm…" Roy tried to come up with something because he really thought that someone who had top grades in everything was either a freak or a geek.

"…like a freak." She finished with a nervous laugh. "I know. I've been wondering what to do if he had been assigned to work with me but gladly I don't have to face that problem."

"Yeah. Comforts _me_ a lot." Roy answered, moving her coffee cup finally to get it off his mind.

"Anyway, when you see Boss the next time you might want to ask him about this new guy." She advised, opening some websites on her computer screen.

"I'll do that. What was his name again?" The redhead asked as he got up to leave, collecting the reports and the data he had written.

"Chill. I can't remember the last name. The first name stuck with me because it sounds a little scary… you know, top grades and the name… It's like he has no heart or life at all." She said, shrugging as she focused on her computer screen. He left towards Boss's office, wondering about the news he had just heard.

As he walked down the corridor towards Boss's office in complete silence, his mobile phone rang in his pocket and he flinched, dropping all the papers on the floor. He answered the phone quickly, holding it against his ear with his shoulder as he collected the papers on the floor, hoping that no one would come.

"Hey, are you coming home tonight?" Link asked on the phone. His voice sounded cheerful. But strangely, there was a tone in it Roy had never heard before; a devilish, vicious tone. It was so unusual to Link that it hurt Roy's ears.

"What are you planning?" The redhead asked, browsing through the pile of papers, checking that they were in good order.

"Just a fun night with you and me and Marth and his new boyfriend. I'm taking kiddo with me too." The elf answered, still the scary devilish tone in his voice.

"Oh. I guess I'll be home by eight." Roy frowned as he looked at the circular stain the girl's coffee mug had caused on one of his papers; it was never going to come off. Gladly the text was still readable. "Have you found any clues on Cosette?"

"I found her a long time ago. I'm now taking her to the cabin."

"You _found _her already?" The redhead's eyes widened, then he almost squealed. "That's great!"

"Yeah, you should 'go home early' today and come to see her." Link said, taking a turn to left, Cosette listening to his phone call very closely. He glanced at her from the rear view mirror, seeing the worry in her eyes only made him want to try twice as hard. She needed her sons.

And he needed Roy.

---

Roy came to the cabin shortly after three. It was a tiny little house with two floors, built of thick wood. Just like all rental cabins, it was decorated in a very casual and calming way, nothing too exciting in case of elderly people. Mostly there were paintings of the sea on the walls; the general theme in decorating the house had been blue. From the couch to the blankets, from the curtains to the toilet seat, everything was in different shades of blue. In the fireplace fire danced wickedly, soft shadows flickering around the room.

He saw Link from the corned of his eye and smiled to him casually as a friend. Link came to him and hugged him tightly and he felt so embarrassed because they were in front of Cosette. For a while he wanted to push him away, but his heart won, allowing him to stay in the warm hug a little longer, enjoy the touch of Link's arms around him just a while longer. He knew it was foolish and stupid to go to him and then push him away again, but it was so hard to let go. He knew that every time he hugged or kissed or touched Link, he broke his heart just like his own. It made him feel so bad, knowing that for selfish reasons he went to Link and let him touch him, he let him live in a _dream_ where someday his wife-to-be and unborn child would be nothing but a distant memory.

It was like a revelation. How much he hurt Link! It was nothing compared to his own pain, because at least he knew what was happening, he knew his decisions and feelings. Poor Link had no idea, he just took him close every time he needed it, gave him love without demanding anything in return… and yet still he kept him in darkness, letting him believe that maybe one day he and Peach would break up and he would come to him.

He pushed Link away quickly, turning to face Cosette. He couldn't say it to him here, he would say it somewhere where they would be alone. He just needed the courage to break Link, plunge a dagger into his heart. But the sooner it would be done, the less Link would suffer.

"Hi, I'm Roy, a psychiatrist from the S.F.B.I." He turned to Cosette, pushing all the previous thoughts away.

Cosette stood up, shaking his hand lightly with a scared smile on her lips. "Cosette Bruyere, these are my two sons, Jean and Gavroche Bruyere."

"I know all about your situation and we really want to help you." The redhead said politely, sitting down on one of the light blue armchairs.

"Is there anything you can do?" Cosette asked, using the same, polite tone of voice as she spoke. From the corner of his eye, Roy saw Link standing silently in the doorway to the kitchen, looking at him with a puzzled expression. Roy just hoped that he wasn't thinking about doing anything now that they were together, then it would be twice as awkward trying to tell him that they would never become a real couple. He sighed, he wouldn't think about these things now. Cosette was more important.

He cleared his throat, feeling a little awkward under the elf's gaze. "Nothing's certain, but we can always try."

"I need you to be certain." Cosette said with sudden anger in her voice.

Roy looked at her with wide eyes for a moment. Then he looked at his feet with a troubled expression. "I can't."

Cosette glared at him, throwing her hands in the air. "Then there's nothing you can do to help me."

"Yes, there might be!" Roy almost flared up, but was able to hold himself back. "At least you won't go to prison if you have to let your sons go with Börje if we appe--"

"I am _NOT _going to lose my sons!" Cosette said almost furiously, her curly corn-yellow bangs covering her view. With one angry swipe they were gone and she stared at him with her dark eyes, hoping and hating.

"Give me time and I'll find out everything I can." Roy took Cosette's hand in his. "I promise, I and Link will do everything we can to help you."

Cosette sighed. "Thank you. You're complete strangers, yet you want to help me."

"We have our reasons." Roy answered, almost seeing himself with his son there on the couch where Cosette sat, she was running from her husband, he would be running away from Peach. The mental image made him want to cry, because he had seen how much Cosette cared for her children and if he was about to risk that much of love just to be with Link, would it be worth it?

Soon after that the two left, leaving her with their phone numbers and telling her to call if anything happened. Roy had offered to stay with her, but she had insisted on staying alone with her sons for reasons she wouldn't say. When they looked at her from the car before they drove away, she looked like a paranoid old woman, looking around with her large dark eyes, waiting for disaster to strike.

"You were really nice to her." Link said as they drove to the highway.

Roy flinched as he heard the elf talk. They had driven for a while already and haven't said anything so he had been drowning in his thoughts, mostly about how to tell Link the truth. "Yeah, she deserves it. Anyone who cares that much about their children deserves it."

"Yeah…" Link wanted to say that he would do the same for Roy, but somehow he felt how tense Roy was. Maybe it was the whole Cosette-thing, ever since the beginning he had been looking vexed, disturbed. He was probably identifying himself with Cosette, somehow seeing himself in her place. As Link thought of it, he realised why Roy had been so interested in the case ever since the beginning; he had seen himself instead of Cosette. He wasn't only helping Cosette, he was helping himself as well as if Cosette was only a drill, followed by the real thing in the future.

When they got into the elevator, Link suddenly pulled Roy into a hug, wanting to comfort him. If he really was right about Roy identifying himself with Cosette, then Roy would need the same comfort as she.

Roy let Link grab him gently. He trailed his hands slowly up his chest, letting his fingers experience that warmth Link had, that body he wanted so much. It was weird how much he already missed Link although he hadn't been apart from him for more than a few days. It was crazy.

His fingers finally reached Link's face, touching his chin first with a finger, deep in thought. Just how many times he had kissed his neck? How many times he had run his tongue over his smooth skin? And the scent, the scent of the elf always made him feel wobbly.

His fingers touched slightly the elf's cheeks and he sighed, wanting to cup them to hold him still for one kiss. The ears, those ears he had always loved, they were listening to him very closely. He touched them gently, knowing that they were very sensitive and although Link found it pleasurable when someone touched them, he rarely let anyone do that. Roy didn't want to glance into Link's eyes because he knew there would be something in them. Looking into them would tell him more than a thousand words and he would never be able to kiss him. Kiss him goodbye.

_For like, the thousandth time?_

He moved his head closer to Link, tiptoeing to get closer. As if Link had sensed what he was about to do, he moved his head closer as well and his breath became excited, he was taking only small amounts of air, afraid that breathing freely would scare Roy away. The redhead let a small smile curve on his lips, he was not afraid, he was just sad.

Then he reached out, he put his hand on the back of Link's head, drew in the final encouraging breath to do it and… heard the sound of the doors opening. Quickly he let go of Link, blushing. How foolish he had been. He was just torturing himself and Link most of all with his stupid game. He had been through these thoughts already in the cabin, why couldn't he stick to the plan? Why did he have to let Link make him feel weak? He would need to draw a clear line between him and Link, no more exceptions! No more kisses. No more hugs.

To hide his deepening blush he exited the elevator, looking at his feet with a focused expression. He was mad at himself, but tried to hide it, knowing that it would pass if he could just calm down in peace without being aggravated. He flinched as he heard Link say scornfully:

"Must be fate."

He stopped, clenching his fists. "We're just hurting each other."

"Maybe so, but it could all stop." The elf answered, he came out of the elevator, but didn't go near Roy. The redhead needed a little distance and so did he.

"Link, the baby _needs _a mother!" Roy turned around, throwing his hands in the air. He had probably given it a lot of thought, but he was stubborn and once he had decided that the child needed a mother there was nothing that could change it.

"No. What the child needs is _love _and _affection_. They have nothing to do with gender!" Link answered fiercely.

Roy glared at him for a while, almost breaking. Even though he wanted to let Link be a father for his child, he couldn't. Everywhere everything always spoke about the importance of a mother. Mothers were always tender and good, they taught the children social skills, noticing others and so on. They were vital for the children. "We've been through this, Link." He said calmly.

"But I still don't understand!" The elf answered, feeling tears in his eyes. He couldn't understand why Roy was throwing away the love of his life for his child. Why was he destroying himself?

"You never will!" The redhead answered fiercely. "My father never loved me! When I was a child, I had no one because he was too busy with his work! My mother died when I was born and every time I talked to my father he just said that he hoped my mother was alive! He told me everything would be fine if I _only had a mother_! Now I have the chance to give my child a mother and a father and I'm not going to waste that opportunity!"

"So, you're only trying to heal your childhood wounds." Link said calmly. He took a step closer to Roy, wanting to hold him. He knew how hard it was for Roy to talk about his problems, but at least now he knew the full story. Roy had once told him something, but it had been only a scratch on the surface of the story and he doubted that maybe it went even deeper than what Roy had told him now. When he put a hand on Roy shoulder, the boy thrust an elbow to his side.

He let out a groan; it had hit the ribs and the pain radiated through his whole body. He looked at the redhead's back, who just stood there, quietly waiting. Link backed away, realising that Roy had just warned him not to come any closer, not to break him and let him ease the pain inside of him. It had been a tough warning, but effective as well.

"I heal myself the way I see fit. If you keep coming close to me you just hurt me more."

"Loving is not hurting!" Link said, still grimacing of the pain.He wasn't going to be able to sleep on that side for a few days.

"It is if we keep torturing ourselves with false hopes of getting together one day." Roy answered coldly as he started towards the door. Link let himself fall on his butt on the floor, looking at his feet.

Then he realised that he couldn't let go. He just couldn't. He was too obsessed. He would never forget the touch of Roy, the kisses or the words they had spoken. He would always cherish him in his heart, no matter what he did. He found it so ironic that although Roy had hit him, he had already forgiven it, although Roy was leaving him he had already forgiven it too.

"Roy!" He called before the redhead could open the door. Roy turned to look at him with a storm in his eyes, he was probably sorry for being so rough, but too mad to say anything yet. He needed some time to calm down.

"What?"

"I can't stop loving you! I can't stop trying to make you mine!" Link shouted with a desperate smile. "I can't stop after all this! After everything we've been through, even seeing you is like heaven to me! Roy, I love you with all my heart!"

The redhead's expression softened and for a passing moment Link thought that he was going to run to him and wrap his arms around him or start crying. Either one was fine with him, since it would show him that Roy cared and wanted to be his.

"Then don't stop loving me. If you want to _hurt _yourself, it's not my problem." The redhead answered softly, as if a mother to her child before he went in.

Link sighed. He had just been broken unlike ever before, hurt deeply by Roy and now he would need to go in there and tell Marth that his boyfriend was actually working for Peach. It would only cause so much more pain, he was sure that his pain was enough for one evening. If Marth needed comfort he wouldn't be able to give it right now. He was too broken.

He would tell him some other day.

---

The next day Roy arrived to the cabin just as he had promised to Cosette. It was a nice weather outside, a little cloudy but still warm. There was no wind; it was somehow eerie not to have it singing in whispers in the treetops. When he got in, he took off his boots and put his jacket into the closet, calling:

"Hello?"

But the whole house seemed to be veiled in an eerie silence, as if everything was waiting quietly what would happen next. The redhead frowned when no one answered, his heart speeding up even dangerously fast. Cosette couldn't have left. She couldn't have escaped into the woods, hoping that one day everyone would forget it all.

Roy walked to the living room downstairs, noticing that the fireplace was cold; there hadn't been a fire in it after they had left yesterday. It was very quiet. Almost eerie. He pushed the silly thoughts away from his mind as he walked to the kitchen, only to find the same eerie and odd atmosphere. Getting a little worried, he called for Colette again, it couldn't be that she was still asleep with her sons; it was almost noon.

He walked slowly the stairs to the next floor; they creaked as he went. It felt so odd, he felt like he was fourteen again, stolen one of his father's cigarettes and going out to smoke it – not because it would taste good, hell no, but because it was _forbidden_. That feeling, he had almost forgotten it. It was the excitement of doing something strictly forbidden and scary, but he had no idea why he was feeling the way he did. He had every right to be in the house, he had been invited and he wasn't going to hurt Cosette or the sons, only help them. At the end of the stairs he had to stop, the feeling was so weird. He felt almost dizzy.

On his left was the tiny bedroom, but there was no one there, sleeping in the blueness of the blankets. On the wall was an old map of the world, lined with broad red ink. He knew they had spent the night in the cabin or at least they had been supposed to, but there weren't any signs of sleeping on the bed. It was done with almost military perfection, not a single wrinkle anywhere.

The dizzy, weird feeling grew inside of him. He was getting very scared. Cosette… Cosette couldn't have left… Yet everything was so still, the house was lifeless as if no one had been in it to bring life into the thick wooden walls.

"Hello?" He called again, noticing that his voice quivered. He tried to laugh at his stupid feelings and memories of the time when he was fourteen, but his laughter was somehow thin as a string.

Roy opened the door to the bathroom, holding his breath. Some primitive sense had made him do that, he had no idea why he was doing it; it just seemed like a good idea.

He saw Cosette Bruyere and her two sons lying on the floor, covered in blood. They had all cut their wrists and the blood spraying out of their arteries with huge pressure had smeared the whole room from the ceiling to the floor and from the curtains to the mirror.

For a while he just stood there, trying not to throw up. Seeing Cosette's dark eyes wide in frozen pain made his insides turn, seeing how her sons had clung onto her during the last moments of their life, it was so horrible. What had happened? Why had she killed herself? Had she become too paranoid?

After a while of collecting himself Roy could finally examine the body. She was looking at the ceiling with her wide dark eyes, as if the life she had taken from herself had actually been a bad move. The boys' eyes were tightly shut as if to escape, to be in darkness the final moments of their lives. Roy bent over the body carefully, trying not to smear his clothes in the blood. He closed her eyes, noticing that in her other hand, she held tightly a crumpled memo. It read with a shaky handwriting:

_Dors ma jolie…pour toujours…_

Roy looked at her with a sad look on his face as he backed up to the corridor. He tried to keep his mind blank, not think about himself or Link, but it was impossible. If he broke up with Peach, this could be what happened to him and his child. Looking at the three of them, the frozen moment when they clung onto each other desperately, he could see himself holding a baby in his hands, staring at the ceiling with the same, lifeless eyes as Cosette. He would also hold a suicide note, only addressed to Link.

She was his mirror. An image in the still water. She was an example of what would happen if he tried to leave Peach, that bitch.

Before he called the police he burst to tears and cried harder than ever with horrible agony, not for Cosette or her sons, not for Peach or himself, but for his unborn child and Link, hoping that indeed her fate was not a warning about was what in store for him.

---

Link walked into the asylum's cage where people were allowed to see the mentally ill. He sat down on the plastic chair, waiting.

This was the perfect plan. He wouldn't hurt Roy, the redhead could do as he pleased, he would only shake Peach very harshly. Maybe harshly enough to make her realise that letting Roy go would be the right thing to do. If she let him go, he would come to Link more than willingly and everything would be fine again.

She walked into the light like a walking corpse, dragging her other foot behind her. Under her once beautiful chocolate brown eyes were black bags from too less sleep. Her skin was yellow and her nails overly long, probably they hadn't been cut since she had been brought here.

As she sat down, Link smiled gently. "I bet you're eager to do anything to get out of here."

---

Thank you for reading; you know I love your reviews! And by the way _Dors ma jolie... pour toujours_ means _Sleep, my sweetie... forever._

Now, I shall get serious.

I don't know has anyone of you lost anyone in the earthquake and tsunami in Asia, but I would still like to send my regards to those who have lost a friend, a family member, an enemy, anyone. My friend lost his parents and my depression feels light as a feather right now. I can't even begin to say how much it hurts me to see the reports from Asia and how much more it hurts me when I know I'm not able of doing anything else except donating money.

I hope all the victims of this earthquake will be identified and put to rest as soon as possible. May they rest in peace.


	31. Kumo o Tsukamu Yoo Part 01 Hey ya, Natas...

**EPISODE 07: ****Kumo o Tsukamu Yoo Part 01 Hey ya, Natasha!**

---

Natasha sat down on the chair, looking at Link with her brown eyes. She looked away from him for a long time, thinking of what to say, expressions running over her face. She could suddenly give him a sweet smile, then almost growl right after it or look at him with a fond look in her eyes that suddenly turned into utter sadness. Finally she took a hold of the table with her hand, fixing her eyes on Link's.

"I tried... I tried to tell them..." She said, looking at her hand. Link watched her very closely, ready to get physical if she would do something violent or anything weird at all. She glanced at him briefly, grimacing as if something hurt her constantly. "But they wouldn't listen to me... Damn them..."

She stood up, throwing her hands in the air. "DAMN THEIR EYES!"

Link flinched, it seemed like the asylum wasn't doing anything good to her. She seemed to be crazier than ever before, but what could he say, the company of another loonies didn't probably make her life easier.

He followed her closely as she sat down again, clearing her throat. "They didn't believe me... Strange creatures... The world in peril from unseen foes... The death... THE DARKNESS!" She tried to grab Link's shirt, but couldn't reach. She grimaced, as if something had hurt her, throwing her head back. Her black hair flowed to her face, revealing only one angry eye.

"Instead they jeered and threw me into this godforsaken place... A place of empty souls and fevered thoughts..." Natasha let out a nervous laugh, glancing around as if no one should hear her saying that. "Reeking of fetor and decay! Thinking me mad with delirium!" She whispered loudly, looking into Link's eyes pleadingly.

"The fools cast away their hopes of salvation by locking me in this damned asylum!"

She stood up, pointing at Link, her eyes flaming. "MAY THE RATS EAT YOUR EYES! I am now lost to your cause! The Darkness comes! It will damn us all!" She hit the table with her fists, glaring at him.

„Get a hold of yourself, Natasha!" Link stood up and slapped her gently. „Nice act, however."

„Oh, thanks." Natasha smiled as they both sat down.

An uncomfortable silence fell over them, Link regretted coming there, but he was desperate. Using Natasha was his last chance to get Roy back and he knew he would surely regret not using his final card in their poker game with Peach. If Roy was the stake, he was going to win, not only because he needed Roy, but also because Roy needed him.

He looked at his hands on the table as he spoke: „What I came to talk to you about is... Roy is not mine anymore."

„What?" Natasha snorted, narrowing her eyes. With one slender hand she brushed her hair back before continuing. „I can't believe he left you!"

„He did." Link said sadly, looking at his hands, but as he saw Natasha trembling with anger he quickly added: "But only because his ex-girlfriend called him and told him she's pregnant."

„And you're willing to get me out of here to help you two back together...?" Natasha asked, drumming the table impatiently with her long, yellow nails.

"Yeah. But the child his girlfriend is carrying means a lot to him so you can't force her to take an abortion or anything like that." The elf said sadly, still looking at his hands. Maybe what he was doing wasn't right, maybe Roy would judge him for doing it, but he had to try in case Roy would understand that he didn't need a woman to have a happy family.

"This sounds like fun." Natasha smiled. "But if I get the two of you back together, will you help me into a better facility than this? They won't even let you wear make-up here! Which reminds me, I'm not going to do anything before I look good enough for the papers."

"I'll do my best. You women are so vainglorious." Link laughed gently.

Natasha smiled attractively, looking knowingly at him with her chocolate brown eyes. "I know, but that's why the media loves us."

Soon after Link left the asylum, calm and collected. It was a pretty afternoon, the sun shone brightly from the sky accompanied by only two frail clouds sailing in the cerulean. A fresh breeze blew better air into the city, making it pleasant to walk around even with all the noise the traffic made. As he watched the traffic, he swore he would never let Roy know about his and Natasha's deal.

He went quickly home to pick Young Link up to go to the grocery store Link asked the small elf to come with him because he wouldn't have been able to carry all the stuff back alone. Besides, it was much nicer to walk with someone than alone; if he spoke with Young Link he wouldn't need to think about Roy's suffering.

They walked past the high skyscrapers and tiny stores, talking about whatever passed their minds. To Link it didn't matter what he spoke with Young Link as long as he kept talking, because when he was talking he was thinking about what he spoke of, not Roy or Natasha.

"Link…" Young Link said, looking away from his caretaker.

"What is it?" Link asked, looking at the small boy with a smile on his face, knowing from the tone of his voice that everything wasn't all right, but trying to be as cheerful as possible. Young Link needed happiness and he would be sure to give him as much attention as he needed.

"Could Roan come over tonight?" The small elf looked his bigger self in the eye with an enthusiastic expression, excited of the thought of having a friend over.

Link couldn't remember the time when the tiny elf had had someone over the last time. But he could remember how much fun he and his friend had had, all day and night laughter had spilled into the living room from Young Link's room. Link knew he could never be like a friend to the boy because he was an adult and he would never completely understand him or keep up with his energy, if a friend would make Young Link feel better he could have as many over as he wanted to. "Sure. It would be great!" Link said.

There was a silence between the two of them when they just smiled at each other. After a while Link tried to continue walking, but Young Link took his hand and pressed it hard. The Hylian pressed back, looking at his smaller self with worry in his eyes. The tiny elf showed fear always by grabbing his hand or snuggling close like when he saw nightmares, maybe he had seen a scary person somewhere. Quickly Link glanced around to make sure no one was looking at them funny.

"Are you still scared about what happened at Cosworth Street?"

"…A little." Young Link answered, looking at his feet.

Link stopped and crouched to see him better. He put his hands gently on the boy's shoulders to make him look at him in the eye. "But you haven't seen any nightmares about that place in a while."

"I don't think about it when I'm with Roan." Young Link admitted, almost shyly.

Link smiled as widely as he could. "Then Roan's more than welcome to come over."

Young Link smiled, hugging him. For a while Link was a little lost about what was going on because they hugged very seldom, but apparently the young elf was just thanking him for being a good caretaker.

---

Marth sat down on the couch next to Vyse, pulling him near. They had been spending a lot of time together since they had met two days ago. At times Vyse went home for a couple of hours and when he was gone Marth felt like the seconds had transformed into hours, crawling slowly until the brunette returned. Marth knew they had gone a little too fast, maybe because they had both fallen in love so intensively, but things had settled down since their first night. They were now a happy couple getting to know each other, wanting to know everything about each other.

Although he knew that Vyse was a lot younger than him, he didn't care. At times he had to be a little more naïve than normally when Vyse wanted to play with food or have a pillow fight, but it made him feel so alive. And whatever they did, he felt so meaningful and so relaxed. He had never felt like that with anyone before, the feeling was like a drug to him.

He woke up from his thoughts as Vyse gave him a heavy book with a smile.

„Would ya help me study?" The brunette asked, looking directly into his eyes.

„Should I ask you to translate something?" The prince asked, looking at the book more closely. It was an Italian study book, heavy as a brick.

„Yup. I'm having a test tomorrow and me oldies told me I have to get good grades, otherwise I can't see ya anymore."

„But you told me your father doesn't know...?" The noble asked, rising his eyebrows.

„Yeah, he thinks I'm round Juri's playing Baten Kaitos." Vyse explained with an innocent grin, pressing his head against his chest like a tired puppy.

Marth chuckled. „When are you going to tell him?"

„I don't know. When the time is right." The brunette said, rubbing his head against his chest, letting his hands find their way around the noble to hug him. He would tell his father someday, but right now he didn't even want to think about it. Marth was all he needed to make his day perfect.

The noble brushed a strand of hair behind the brunette's ear. „So, what do I ask?"

„From unit three. That's the hardest." Vyse said with a smile on his lips again, opening the book and searching the page for him. Then he pressed close again, hugging him gently. Marth put one hand on the brunette's head, burying his fingers into the thick hair and ruffling it a bit.

„Okay, how about you get a kiss from every correct answer?" Marth asked with a smile, looking at the boy in his arms. He couldn't help falling more in love with what he saw, the boy lying in his arms, pressing his head against his chest and holding his hands loosely around him.

Vyse laughed. „Ya are effective!"

„As always." Marth nodded with a smile. „And if you get them all right I'll make love to you."

„Ooh, that motivated me!" Vyse said, hugging his love tighter. Somehow Marth was sure that if the brunette hadn't had his arms around him he would've clapped his hands together like a child at that moment or squealed.

„Alright..." Marth looked at the underlined sentences and their translations. „How do you say ‚_Hello, can you show me those belts in the show window_?'"

„Ummm... _Buongiorno, mi fa vedere quelle cinture in vetrina_?"

„Yes, that's right." The noble said and Vyse smiled smugly, waiting for his kiss. Marth gave him a kiss on his hair, returning his gaze on the book again.

„Oi, I thought ya would give me a real kiss every time!" Vyse said disappointedly, trailing one hand down his chest.

„Don't complain." Marth said gently, caressing the boy's side and the boy squirmed closer to him under his touch. Delighted by the effect of his touch on the boy's skin he did it again, feeling how Vyse snuggled even closer.

„Okay, next. _‚I am Vyse and I go to Ailee High School_.'"

„_Io sono Vyse e io frequento il liceo Ailee_." The brunette said without hesitation.

„You can drop the ‚_Io_' but other than that it was cor--" Marth was cut off by Vyse's lips as the brunette claimed the kiss he had promised to give him for every correct answer. Obviously he hadn't liked Marth giving him only a kiss on his lips and was now taking it back. They kissed for a long while, the brunette holding his lover's head tightly in his arms to keep on tasting him.

The noble smiled as Vyse retreated a little after the kiss, looking at him mischievously. He fixed his eyes on the book although he would've wanted to grab Vyse and make love to him right away. But, life couldn't always be just kissing and cuddling, they had to work as well. Vyse's job was to get a good education so that he could become successful in life and Marth swore to himself that he wouldn't want to ruin Vyse's career by loving him too much. And besides, if the boy didn't get good grades from school they wouldn't be able to meet again. „Well, then. ‚_Excuse me, how do I get to the Rinaldi gallery?_'"

Vyse thought for a while before saying anything. „_Scusî. devo... il galleria Rinaldi_?"

Marth frowned to show him it wasn't correct. „No, ‚_devo_' means ‚_I have to_.' You must've confused it with ‚_dov'è_', because the correct way to say it would be ‚_Scusàdov'è il galleria Rinaldi_?'"

„Ahh! _Dov'è_!" Vyse slapped his forehead with his hand. „Do I still get a kiss?"

„Maybe this time." The noble chuckled. As he leaned towards Vyse to kiss him the boy pulled him on top of him with a mischievous smile on his lips.

„Oops, I slipped."Vyse giggled as he trailed his hands up and down the noble's back, feeling his body through the soft fabric ofthe light blue shirt he was wearing with the loose black jeans. As he found the warm skin of the noble, he reached up to kiss him.

„But you still need to study!" Marth tried to protest although he didn't really want to.

Vyse looked at him mischievously before heturned him under and ignored every word he said. Feeling the boy's warm tongue playing on his neckmade Marth feel so weak. It didn't matter how muchhe wanted to make him study; his body didn't obey him. It wanted to receive every touch Vyse gave him, enjoy them without any distractions.

The Italian study book fell on the floor from his hands and they completely forgot its existence for a while.

Meanwhile Roan sat on Young Link's bed, looking at him with a wistful gaze. It had been really strange to meet this new elf boy at his school, because of all of those rumours that had gone around about him. Roan could feel the blush on his cheeks as he thought about it, how everyone had made fun of him. Every single student had laughed at him and called him a fag and a faggot just because his valentine had been a boy last year and he had fallen in love with him. He had encouraged himself to kiss him that day, but the boy had been straight and everyone had started to hate him for being such a weirdo.

Then Young Link had come, got to know him and they had had fun before one of those idiots that had made fun of him had gone to Young Link to tell him how much Roan liked boys. At that moment Roan had wanted to cry, it was true that he liked Young Link, but he had sworn he would never show it. He would never let him know about his feelings, because then the elf would start to hate him as well and their friendship would be over.

But Young Link's reaction to the knowledge had been completely different from everyone else's reaction. He had simply said that he didn't care. He had said that he was being a friend with Roan because he was fun to be with, not because of his sexuality. Roan didn't know why Young Link was so accepting, maybe he had just been taught that way ever since he had been a baby. At least his caretaker was really nice, maybe growing up with only one parent he had realised that not everyone had the same kind of lives and families, everyone had a different home.

And now, they were best friends. He had never had so much fun with anyone; he had never felt so relieved to be around someone so much. Although they didn't speak about his sexuality, Young Link knew about it and still accepted him. It was like a dream.

„Hey, it's your turn!" He woke up from his thoughts as the tiny elf offered him the game controller with a smile.

„Oh, sorry." Roan laughed nervously as he got up from the young elf's bed and sat down next to Young Link, their sides touching. He took the controller in his hands, feeling the warmth of Young Link's hands that had heated the plastic. Subconsciously he blushed, looking away.

For a while they were both quiet, Roan struggling with the urge to tell Young Link about his feelings and Young Link wondering what was wrong. Finally the tiny elf asked: „Are you going to play or not?"

„...I... I'm not good at playing video games, Young Link." Roan said, still not looking at him.

„You never know if you don't try!" The small elf said enthusiastically. „Playing Super Smash Brothers is a piece of cake!"

„I... I'll try then." Roan said, looking at Young Link finally. He could feel the happy feeling flowing through him as Young Link smiled, starting to tutor him. He learned the game pretty quickly and they played until late night when the fell asleep next to each other. Link walked into the room after they had fallen asleep and switched off the games and the television with a fond smile on his lips. He put Young Link's blanket on the two boys gently; hoping that being with Roan really made Young Link forget all the horrors he had been through.

Link turned the lights off as he closed the door, smiling at the memories of the day. After they had come home Young Link had been so excited that he had barely eaten at all. When Roan had arrived they had run into Young Link's room with two bags of chips and a bottle of Coca-Cola. After that the whole apartment had been so full of noise and laughter that Link hadn't even heard his own thoughts.

As he lay on his bed he hoped that Young Link would sleep well and Roy would realise how much he meant to him. But even if he would he would still probably marry Peach without Natasha interfering. Link looked out of the window as he turned to his sore side, remembering the elbow the redhead had thrust into it.

But it was nothing compared to the pain he felt in his heart.

---

Roy and Peach had just finished the dinner she had made and were now drinking coffee in the living room. They had spent the whole day together, getting to know each other. Roy had been trying to start to love her, but every time he had thought about loving someone, the image of Link had slid in front of his view. Like a curse, the elf was always in his mind.

„Oh, it kicked!" Peach said suddenly with an excited smile. She put her both hands on her stomach to feel the child moving inside of her.

Roy walked next to her and sat down on the couch, looking at her round stomach. „...Really?" He asked a little cautiously, looking at her stomach with excitement. He had never been close to someone who was going to have a baby, not to mention that he was the father. It made it all the more exciting.

„Yeah." Peach said contently, taking Roy's hand in hers and guiding it on her stomach. For a while both of them waited excitedly, almost trembling with the excitement. The redhead was also nervous about Peach and what she might do to him, but letting her hold his hand felt actually friendly, as if she really cared for him. The redhead let out a surprised gasp as the baby kicked, laughing right after it as if to release the tension. With a smile he held his hand on her stomach, feeling the child moving inside her.

In a long time, he felt happy. Feeling those kicks through Peach's skin made him forget about his pain of losing Link for the first time in weeks. Feeling that life, a new innocent being, made him feel so caring and useful. It was such an amazing feeling, being a part of a family; he wanted to cry from happiness. He had never felt what it was like to have a family and here it was, in front of him, his wife-to-be and his unborn child.

„Amazing, isn't it?" Peach said softly.

Roy flinched at the sudden softness in her voice, but gave her a smile. He didn't want to make her mad, then she wouldn't let him feel the life he had started inside of her, feel that tiny new human made of the two of them. „Yeah, I can't... I can't believe it."

Peach pressed Roy's hand a little. „But it's real."

For a moment they were quiet, just feeling the child together, her hand on his, feeling like a family already. Maybe a loveless family, but a family nonetheless.

„Peach..." Roy said suddenly, taking his hand off her stomach. „...N-now that we're getting married and everything... we will have to move in together."

„Yes, I know." Peach answered, internally dancing in joy. She hadn't even needed to suggest it; Roy had done it for her.

„I... I was thinking of moving to the suburb... or maybe even to another city." The redhead said, looking at his hands. He had been thinking about it a lot lately and thought that maybe moving away from Link would make forgetting him easier. If he wouldn't be reminded of his gentle touch and his soft lips every day, he wouldn't think about the moments they had shared together. If he was away from him, far enough, he would never see him again and he would be able to focus on his family completely. They were now his responsibility, his everything. In time, he would forget the golden haired elf, his hands, his voice, his eyes.

„Another city? But that would mean quitting working for the S.F.B.I." Peach said, slightly surprised. She had expected that he'd suggest moving to the suburbs, but she hadn't known that he was determined enough to get rid of Link to move into a completely different city.

„I know. I've been thinking about that too. You could stay home and I could provide the family if I began working as a private psychologist." Roy said, knowing that starting a business would cost him a lot and they would probably need to take a loan, but it would be worth it. It would be worth forgetting Link.

„You would want me to stay home?" She asked, a little annoyed that he didn't want her to work.

Roy glanced at her quickly, knowing from her tone of voice that she didn't like the idea. Immediately he retreated because she had all the strings; the power to take his child away from him and right now he didn't fear anything as much as losing his child. The image of poor Cosette with her dark eyes open, staring at the ceiling flashed through his mind, reminding him to stay on Peach's good side. „I can stay home as well... I just thought that it would be good for the child if one of his or her parents was home."

Peach smiled, kindly in a long time. She wanted to get married really soon, seeing how much Roy cared for his family. It was admirable. His eyes had been shining in a completely different way than normal when he had touched her stomach; he had almost trembled.

Roy stood up slowly, „I guess I'll head back home."

„When are you going to stay overnight?" She asked, a little irritated. The whole evening they had been so close yet now he was going back home to Marth and who knows if the elf was there as well. Thinking about Link almost drove her mad; she knew he wasn't going to give up even if Roy had. „We can't continue living separately after the baby's born." She remarked.

„Marth's waiting for me to come home. Maybe some other day." Roy said apologetically as he gave her a small kiss on her temple, something he had picked up from soap operas. Then he headed for the door, disappearing into the corridor. Peach sighed as the door closed with a click behind him. It was so damn annoying to wait nine months for one baby, nine months! And still, even after five months of getting to know about her pregnancy, Roy wouldn't stay overnight. It was all happening so slowly it made her want to grab him and force him to marry her. But no, they were supposed to marry in two months, one month before she would give birth.

She lifted her eyes from the glass she was holding as she heard some rustling from her bathroom. She got up slowly, gazing at the bathroom door. There really was someone there, going through her make-up and beauty products.

„Hello?" She called a little warily; ready to dash for the door if there was a psycho killer hiding in her bathroom.

Natasha opened the door, stepping into her living room. She was wearing a blazer with dark blue jeans, matching each other perfectly. „Oh, Hi. Do you have any other colour lipstick? This ‚Pink Dream' isn't my colour."

Peach looked at her for a while in amazement. She couldn't believe it. This woman had snuck into her apartment and was now asking for lipstick as if it was just normal to come into others apartments without knocking or ringing the doorbell.

„What the hell are you doing in my apartment?" She asked, a storm in her eyes.

Natasha let a smile curve on her lips. „I just came to see you, the happy mother."

„How dare you? Get the hell out of here!" Peach threw her hands in the air, her eyes flaming with anger. How could she act so arrogant when she was in her apartment without permission?

„Don't talk to me like that you arrogant bitch!" Natasha said furiously, slapping her hard enough to make her fall over on the floor.

Peach took a hold of her sore cheek with one hand, hoping that this crazy woman hadn't broken her cheekbones. She crawled a little farther away from her, watching her every move very closely. If she now lost the baby because this woman was beating her up she wouldn't know what to do, she would lose Roy and her life as a home mother. She decided to be careful from now on, the baby was her ticket to marriage and she was not going to waste it. „Why are you here?" Peach asked, in her voice was a hint of fear, but she wasn't going to show it on her face.

„I came to take you for a ride." Natasha said with a smile, sitting on the couch. „It's been such a long time since I was in the papers... We might even make it to the television, don't you think?"

„W-what do you mean?" Peach asked, holding her stomach with her other hand. The tiny bastard was kicking again. It was all right if it kicked when Roy was over because he was so excited about the child, he didn't lose his figure anyway, but right now she wanted to hit it to make it stop.

„We're going to do a little car trick." Natasha smiled devilishly, holding car keys in her hand. They jingled quietly as she shook her hand. „I've heard you're breaking up my cute little couple."

„W-what are you talking about?"

„Roy and Link." Natasha said calmly, looking at her nails. It was really unfortunate that she hadn't been able to find the right colour nail polish. She lifted her gaze from her nails, looking at Peach with hate in her eyes. „No one should get in their way!"

„Who are you?" Peach asked, fearing for her future. Fearing that maybe she would never be able to get married.

„Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot to introduce myself." Natasha smiled kindly. She spun around like a model, a fake smile plastered on her lips. „I'm Natasha, you might know me from the papers."

„Oh my god..." Peach said, her eyes widening. If it really was Natasha, she was in big trouble. She could remember the headlines about her attacking Roy and Link in the elevator of Roy's building, her interview. In that interview she had said that nothing should come to her cute couple's way. Back then Peach hadn't known what she had meant with that and hadn't cared, but now she regretted ever touching Roy.

Natasha was going to destroy every obstacle between Link and Roy.

And she was on the top of the list.

---

Yay! Natasha's back and she's effective too! She's going to mess up everything! Whee!

Genis: Pancake time!

Sorry that it's a little episode-like, but I did my best. Anyway, Vyse's studying Italian because I know Italian better than German. And yes, what Natasha says in the beginning is directly from Eternal Darkness. Heh. Am I cheap or what?

Thanks for reading; I'd love to hear your comments!


	32. Kumo o Tsukamu Yoo Part 02 Fatal E

**EPISODE 07: Kumo o Tsukamu Yoo Part 2 Fatal E**

-

"See you at school, Roan!" Young Link said cheerfully as they reached the blonde boy's house. Then he got on his bike again and began riding away, looking back at him with a smile on his face. Roan smiled after him for a while, waving. It was really nice of Young Link to walk him all the way home because they didn't really live that close to each other.

He really enjoyed his company, every passing day even more, it was clear to him that he wanted their relationship to be more than just friendship, but he wouldn't do the first move. He didn't want to be hurt again, hurt by mean words and name-calling. It was better just to be quiet, enjoy what they had now and cherish it in his heart. Although he doubted that Young Link would be mean towards him, he had made his decision and hewould stick to it.

Roan turned away to walk home, smiling happily. It had been a long time since he had smiled like that. And smiling like that felt so good. All of the mean things in the past seemed like bad dreams, easy to put away when they tried to trouble him. Roan looked into his bag in search of his keys, hoping that the good, happy feeling would last forever.

He turned around, alarmed, as he heard a screech and a loud thump, fearing the worst.

-

„Vyse!" Dyne called right when Vyse was about to sneak out of the front door. He had left his Italian test on the kitchen table and hoped that he would've been far away from home when his parentshad seenit. Shit happens, they were really curious about his studies.

„Yeah?" He asked, trying to sound casual, but failed.

His father stomped to the hallway like Hulk, holding his test paper in his other hand. Roughly he pressed the paper against Vyse's face, probably to make sure his son didn't miss the grade in the upper right corner. He knew Vyse had seen it when he had got the test back, but to make his point clearer he acted the way he did.

„What does this mean?" He asked, his voice was calm, but Vyse knew he was mad at him. Dyne's voice was always calm, but his body language spoke more than a thousand words.

He smiled sheepishly. „I guess I got a little too excited about Baten Kaitos..."

„A little?" Dyne said, taking a little distance to him. „I think ya better stay home tonight, sonny."

„But I promised to go!" Vyse said pleadingly. He had been waiting to go to Marth's all day, his parents couldn't tell him not to go! Marth was waiting for him, he had probably even made dinner; it would be rude not to go. And besides, he loved him, he didn't want to stay away from him, even if it meant worse grades at school.

„Call and tell ‚em yer crook. Ya need to study now, youngie!" His father said, his eyes aflame.

„But dad!" Vyse tried again as he looked into Dyne's eyes and understood that there was no way he could leave the house before Dyne would calm down a little. Or maybe not even after that.

„Me ankle-biter doesn't get Es from his tests!" Dyne raged, pointing at the stairs. He obviously wanted him to go to his room to study.Vyse frowned, hedidn't even have any tests now; it was useless to tell him to study when there was nothing to study for.

„Mom..." Vyse tried. His mother was the one who usually spoke him out of the trouble he had with his father, but now she was looking at him with a spoon in her other hand, shaking her head sadly. "I'm sorry, lil' one. I think ya need to study too. Baten Kaitos can wait, but yer school can't."

Vyse looked at his feet with a miserable look. He wasn't going to see Marth in a while. Now he really regretted neglecting his schoolwork for the noble, but he just couldn't help himself. He didn't really care about school that much. He wanted to become a singer, but because of his father he was still going to high school. Dyne had told him that as long as he went to school he could stay home and he had no place to go to if he dropped out of school. He couldn't just go to Marth's and assume that the noble would let him stay there for free.

And he didn't even know would he become a successful singer if he tried it.

He climbed the stairs to his room and threw himself on the bed on top of the schoolbooks waiting to be read. Slowly he turned to his side, glancing the boring history book and letting out a sigh. After a while of hesitation he took his cell phone from the table, dialling Marth's number from his memory. He had dialled him so often that it came almost automatically. Whenever he was bored or forced to stay at home he called Marth, sometimes only to hear his voice.

„Hello?" The noble asked absent-mindedly.

„Hi, it's me." He said with a sad smile. He glanced quickly at the Sesame Street clock sitting on his table, pointing half past five.

„Hey, when are you coming?" Marth's tone of voice changed drastically. He sounded so happy to hear Vyse's voice. Hearing that kind of a change in the noble's voice made the brunette feel so bad about himself. It was wrong that he was forced to stay home, especially when he had promised to go to Marth's.

„I... I can't." Vyse sighed, rolling around on the bed. "Me oldies told me I have to stay at home to study. I got an E from the Italian test."

„E, huh? They must be very displeased." The noble said, but Vyse didn't hear a scolding tone in his voice. Probably Marth thought that it was none of his business to start parenting him. And that was good because he was his lover, him acting like his father would just feel weird.

„Tell me about it." Vyse fiddled with the long string on his marine blue shirt's collar.

„Did they say anything about how long they're going to keep you all to themselves?" The noble asked. Vyse could hear a tapping sound along with Marth's speech; maybe he was typing something on his computer at the same time.

„No... I think it'll be a while though." Vyse said sadly.

Marth sighed. „You should ask them again. Wait until they cool off and ask then."

„But me dad still thinks I'm going over to Juri's to play Baten Kaitos! And he's never fancied videogames. They're bad for yer eyes and so on." The brunette waved his hands above him as he rolled onto his back, looking at his fingers against the whiteness of the ceiling.

„Then you have all the more reasons to tell him about you and me." Marth said calmly as if he was smalltalking.

Vyse sat up quickly, aggravated. „Are ya kidding? He might kill me!"

„Then I'll come and save you." The noble ascertained.

"A'ight." Vyse said disbelievingly and laughed. "Marth, I love ya."

In the corridor Dyne lifted his ear from Vyse's door, looking at Anina with confusion in his eyes. He couldn't help the waves of disgust roaming in his stomach as he asked in a whispering tone: "Did he say _Marth_?"

"I'm pretty sure it was Marth_a_." Anina said quickly, seeing the disgust on her husbands face wasn't promising. Actually, it seemed like the thought of Vyse's queerness was like the end of the world to him. Anina couldn't help the sadness she felt for her son, because he hadn't been able to choose which he likes, girls or boys. He had just discovered that he liked men and they needed to accept it as his parents and no matter what, they would need to support him, even if it would break their marriage.

In his room, Vyse browsed through his chemistry book, wondering if Marth could help him study. That would be a great excuse to get to see him, but he doubted his parents would let him go. Even though they trusted him, they were very cautious with him when he was grounded.

Marth's voice was full of love as he ascertained: "I love you too."

"I'll try to come over tomorrow after school." Vyse said cheerfully. If he had to stay home he could at least catch a glimpse of Marth after school somehow.

"I don't think you should annoy them like that. If you disobey them, they'll just keep you home longer." The noble ascertained calmly. More tapping on the background.

"I don't care. I'll turn 18 in just a few months and then I'm free to come and go as I like."

Marth was quiet for a while. Vyse could almost see the thoughtful expression he had on his face. "But those few months are still a few months. Don't make a hell out of your life at home."

"Why? Are ya telling me ya did?" Vyse asked. He didn't really believe it, but he just wanted to keep on talking to Marth. It didn't matter what he said as long as he got a response.

"You could say that."

The brunette's eyes flew open. "I thought ya've always been the kind and caring guy I know!"

Behind the door Dyne's jaw dropped. He turned to look at Anina with pure fear shining in his eyes, his pupils shirnking into two tiny dots in the brown eyes. "_Guy?_"

"I've heard him call sheilas guys." Anina explained quickly. Anything to protect Vyse's and his lover's romance. She wasn't really that comfortable with it, but she understood what it was to be in love. She could remember how she had sneaked out at night to meet Dyne because she just hadn't been able to sleep without his touch tingling on her body. If Vyse's feelings towards that Marth were anywhere near her love for Dyne she would fight for him just like she had fought for her love.

The brunette listened with widened eyes as Marth spoke: "Kind and caring has nothing to do with angry puberty."

"I can't believe ya've been angry." Vyse laughed.

Marth was about to answer when a voice called for him. Vyse couldn't make out what it said, but Marth cleared it for him: "It's dinner. I'll call you later."

"Okay. I'll be waiting." He closed the phone and threw it on his bed with a heavy sigh. He covered his face with his hands, trying to come up with a waterproof plan to fool his parents in order to see Marth. It was true what the noble had said, he shouldn't make the final months of his 'childhood' difficult by disobeying his parents, but it was so hard not to. If they were going to stop him from meeting the noble, he was surely going to make their lives into living hells.

He gasped as Dyne opened to door quickly and with lots of force. Hanging on his arm was Anina, looking at Vyse apologetically. She had clearly tried to keep him from coming into the room and revealing that they had actually been listening in to his phone call, but from Dyne's eyes Vyse could see that he had heard something very shocking. A quick, panicking prayer formed in his head, he really hoped that Dyne hadn't heard him confess his love towards Marth.

"Who was on the phone?" His father said, shaking off Anina. She tried to say something, but he glared at her and she retreated into the corridor. Although she had a big word in Dyne's life, she still needed to retreat at times and she knew exactly when.

"Hon, I'm sorry, I couldn't stop him from listening…" She said from the corridor, Vyse could hear how it hurt her to say that. Or maybe she was just worried what Dyne would do to her son after he would get to know about his sexuality.

"It was my… my…. My girlfriend." Vyse said, looking at his father with large eyes. For a moment Dyne's expression softened, it seemed like he was just as weak as Anina was when it came to being mad at his son.

Anina gasped. She couldn't believe Vyse would lie to his father. "_Vyse!_"

Dyne glanced at her quickly, as if he was looking for an answer from her. Annoyed by the fact that she knew more about his son's life than he did, he grabbed the cell phone from the bed before Vyse could do anything. There was no longer that softness in his eyes that had been there just seconds ago. Vyse tried to stop him from looking at the last made calls, but with one angry look Dyne made the brunette retreat. He put the cell phone against his ear as he dialled the number, waiting for someone to pick it up.

Vyse looked around his room in panic. If Dyne got to know now before he had had the time to tell him there would be a total chaos. Dyne hadn't been prepared to hear something that shocking, he wasn't ready to hear about his son's sexuality yet. He jsut wasn't ready to know that his son was _gay. _The brunette could feel his breathing speeding up as the hot panic took over his body, sharpening his senses radically.

"A plane!" He cried quickly, it had been the first thought running through his head, the only one he knew worked for sure. At least it always worked in soap operas. But he knew his life wasn't a soap opera, none of the laws of soap operas held good in real life. Still, it was worth a try. If he could snatch the phone and erase the memory quickly, his and Marth's relationship would be saved.

Dyne looked out, but he held the phone against his ear firmly. He walked slowly to the window, looking for a plane. Vyse looked at him with a scared expression, hoping that anything would happen. Anything, thunder, fire, war! It didn't matter what, he just wanted anything to happen before Marth would pick up the phone.

Meanwhile Marth sighed as he heard his phone ringing. Roy lifted his gaze from his plate as well; wondering why would Vyse call although the noble had just told him he was going to eat dinner. Maybe they were just so in love that they couldn't be a moment without talking to each other.

Thinking a thought like that made Roy feel a sharp pain in his chest, he knew that pain almost too well now, but he was not going to give in to it. He had made his decision; he would keep to it even if it ripped his heart apart and drove him crazy. But he didn't see anything wrong with going over Link's for a cup of coffee later. Maybe his heart was just fooling his senses with friendship, but it didn't matter. If he couldn't be Link's lover anymore, he could at least be his friend until he and Peach would move away.

He woke up from his thoughts as the noble answered the phone cheerfully: "Hey, miss me already?"

Roy smiled at himself. He had been right. But what could he expect? Vyse was still only a child, unable to wait for something to happen, everything had to happen right away, even if it meant that Marth wouldn't eat or he would eat cold food later. It was kind of sweet of him to be so eager to be with Marth and show it so openly, something Roy knew he could never do, but Marth needed to eat and have a little time for himself. The noble was just too kind to say it, or maybe he was just too much in love with the energetic 17-year-old. Roy frowned as the cell phone fell to the floor from Marth's hand. Its covers came off with two silent cracks, spreading around the floor with the battery.

When Marth just stood still like a statue, Roy knew that something was wrong.

**- **

Natasha turned the car on, looking at Peach sitting on the backseatfrom the rear view mirror. She smiled happily at her as she fixed her make-up, knowing that this trick would surely be on the newspapers and when it would be published she would look so beautiful that everyone in town would remember her. Maybe they would remember her as an avenging bitch or as a jealous girlfriend, but it didn't matter. All that mattered was that she would be on the papers and Link and Roy would be back together.

She looked at the wheel for a while before she began driving. Link was such a nice and lovely person, it was totally unfair of Roy not to love him. He was supposed to! They were meant to be! There wasn't any options, if Roy was having a baby with some girl he would just need to forget about it. And because it seemed like he wasn't going to, she was needed to help him. If there were no girl or baby, there wouldn't be the tiniest of problems.

She was just playing the magician who said the magic words.

"A-are you going to kill me?" Peach whimpered from the backseat, looking at her tied hands and feet. Natasha had done that only to be sure that she wouldn't try anything funny.

Natasha smiled as she drove out of the parking lot. "It's none of your business, bitch."

"But!" Peach tried to protest, looking at the girl's focused face.

"Be quiet." Natasha ascertained simply. She didn't want to hear Peach's voice anymore, it had started to annoy her enough. And she knew that if she wasn't able of holding her temper they might end up with the worst of newspaper pictures. No, no, no. She wanted it all to be perfect.

For a long time they just drove in silence, Peach looking out of the windows and Natasha focusing on the traffic. At times Peach rolled from one side of the backseat to the other because she didn't have a seatbelt, but it didn't matter to the girl driving. She didn't even notice how Peach banged her head or whimpered as the baby kicked in response of being hurt.

She got up from the floor as the car stopped after a few bumps. Looking out through the window she saw nothing but trees and fields, the countryside. It was beautiful outside, the sky was clear, in the horizon were a few ominous-looking clouds drifting into the distance. Everything was so green and so pure, almost calming, but the countryside did not give peace to her racing heart. She knew that in the countryside no one would hear her screams and it would take long to find her body _if _her body would ever be found. She couldn't say what was on Natasha's mind, how or when or would she even kill her.

The rails. She saw the rails going under the car, realising that Natasha had parked the car in the middle of a railroad. Hot panic shot through her body, making tears flow down her cheeks as she began whimpering while trying to open the back door. Natasha turned to look at her with a devilish glint in her eyes.

"The heavy transport railroad." She said with a smile. "Used to bring heavy machinery to the city."

"Y-You can't d-do this!" Peach cried, now crying in fear. Her whole body trembled, alarming the baby as well. Somehow she could tell that it was crying inside of her, it had sensed the danger.

"Why not?" Natasha asked, leaning her head like she had been a child and hadn't understood the question. It was scary how quickly she changed from one _person_ to another. One moment she was a devilish murderer, the other an innocent child.

"B-but I'm preg-pregnant!" Peach said, she tried to sound defiant, but her voice was so high that she onlymade herself soundlaughable.

"Well, start giving birth!" Natasha said absent-mindedly, looking at the railroad. Quickly she glanced at her watch, probably wondering when the train was going to come.

Peach retreated as far as she could from her, trying to hold herself together. "I-I can't!"

Natasha shrugged with a smile. "That's too bad then."

Peach let the tears flow down her cheeks freely, it really seemed like this was her end. Natasha had brought her here to die along with herself and if she was ready to kill herself, sacrifice herself in order to eliminate her, there was probably nothing she could do anymore unless miracle would start happening.And they didn't happen very often.

**- **

„Peach has been oddly quiet the whole day." Roy said. He was round Link's for a cup of coffee after Marth had told him to go. He respected Marth and when the noble had wanted to be alone he had left without asking any further questions. The noble hadn't told him why the phone had fallen from his hand to the floor, but obviously something very bad had happened. Maybe Vyse had told him he wanted to break up, that had been his first thought. Although Roy knew it was no use speculating, he could as well be wrong, but something bad had happened.

„Isn't that a good thing?" The elf asked, secretly he was happy that Natasha was doing a great job and from the look of it, Roy wasn't too sad either.

„Yeah, but I'm still worried about my child." The redhead said, looking at his hands on the table. Link glanced at him quickly from the kitchen, feeling the guilt clench his heart, but it passed as quickly as he turned his gaze away. It was for Roy's best he was doing it. „Aren't you a little early, the child isn't even out of her womb and you're already worrying about it?"

The redhead snorted, trying to force out a laugh but his attempt was a poor one. „I guess you're right. Maybe she's just mad at me because I didn't stay overnight."

Link brought two large cups of coffee to the table with a smile. „I made it extra strong so you could stay up all night and worry."

„Link..." Roy said as he took a hold of the cup. The elf watched his hands as they gently caressed the round shapes of the cup like he wasn't holding a coffee cup but a child in his hands. "I…I'm sorry I hit you."

"It's all right." Link said quickly. He didn't want to remember that any longer. He had gone too far to insulting Roy and turning the dagger in his childhood wounds. He had only paid the price forgetting too close.Even though he wanted to talk about it, force Roy to understand, he knew he would only make the general mad. That wouldn't lead to anything good.

The redhead wouldn't look at him. Maybe there was something very interesting in the brown sea of coffee in his mug, or then he was just embarrassed. "No, it's not. I want to make it up to you."

"You really don't need to." The Hylian answered, trying to put a hand on the boy's shoulder, but Roy jerked away as if he was infected with some deadly poison. Their eyes met briefly, Roy turned his gaze back to his coffee mug with a painful expression spreading on his face. Link couldn't help frowning, the reaction had been so strange. As if Roy tried to act like nothing had happened he returned to the subject before Link could ask any questions: "But I want to… Just tell me how."

The Hylian's eyes widened. Then came the dirty thoughts he found very hard to put down. He knew Roy would never agree to that anymore and even suggesting it might affect their delicate friendship. But it was so hard not to think about it, how he had already once had the redhead, in his hands, under him, everywhere…

Before he even noticed it, an awkward silence had fallen over them. The redhead looked at times, waiting. It really took him a while to read his mind, Link was a little offended by how long it actually took after all they had been through. When Roy realised Link's thoughts he blushed bright red, bringing back memories of the old days to Link. "I… I can't…"

"I know. That's why you don't need to make it up to me." Link explained quickly, his eyes wide, waving his hands in front of him. He didn't know why he did that; it just felt like a good idea. Maybe he was trying to tell Roy he was armless, he wouldn't force him to do anything he didn't like to do.

The redhead tried to hide his deepening blush with his bangs as he spoke: "Is-isn't there any other way?"

Link was surprised that Roy even suggested it after that. he had been sure another awkward silence would've fallen over them, making it even harder to be in the same room. Roy really seemed to want to be his friend although it was so hard after all that they had been through together. Encouraged by that, he swallowed before suggesting. "Well… could you sleep next to me tonight?"

"I… I guess that can be arranged." The redhead answered by length. Link tried to search for an eye contact to see into his soul, into his thoughts, but Roy hung his head like he was being scolded for something. For a passing moment Link could almost see the redhead in the principal's office in front of him, looking at his feet with a guilty expression as the principal scolded him. After another moment of awkward silence Roy continued: "...That's good... because I'll get out of the lovey-dovey at-atmosphere around my and Marth's place."

Link chuckled. The redhead was obviously trying to lighten the mood, remove the awkward feelings and memories. He tried to come up with something cheering, but couldn't think of anything. There wasn't anything to say in return unless he was going to say something hinting towards their relationship

_I can't promise anything about the lovey-dovey atmosphere._

Finally he just ended up saying: "Yeah."

Although they felt a little uncomfortable with each other now that they weren't supposed to touch each other anymore and were still going to sleep in the same bed for one night, they were happy. Although the air hanging around the kitchen table was tense and awkward, it still felt oddly nice. The feeling was like they had been waiting for a long time to let it out and now, sitting in the still air, everything was being undone. Undone to the point where they couldn't be anything more than friends because Roy had denied his feelings.

Their conversation died slowly as they sat there, just looking at each other. The moment didn't need any words. Everything had been said;all the thoughts and wordswere just lingering in the air. A quiet moment together was something very rare to them these days, and thus something they subconsciously wanted to cherish very much. Although Roy didn't want to admit it, he wanted to sleep next to Link, he wanted to touch him and hold him near like before. Somehow he knew Link understood that, even if he didn't approve of his decisions he still stood by him and he would probably stand by him until the very end.

They woke up from the trance-like serenity as the doorbell rang angrily many times. Link bolted for the door, knowing how impatient Young Link was to get inside. Roy let out a sigh, he had never thought he could experience something remotely like the things he had just done with Link. And it had all been without a single touch, only gazes.

He heard Link open the door quickly, laughing. "Easy, easy!"

But at the door wasn't Young Link. Link's eyes widened as he realised who the boy standing at his door was. It was Roan; his face white with fear. His whole tiny body shook as he took a step forward and crumbled to the floor. Link took him into his arms gently, looking for an answer for the sudden visit from the boy's tear-filled eyes.

"Young-Young Link…" He sobbed. "He was run over…a car..."

"WHAT?" Link asked, dropping the tiny boy on the floor. Roan didn't even try to get up, he just curled up into a tiny ball, hiding his face behind his hands and sobbed. He was sure he was going to be punished now, punished for letting something like that happen to the only friend he had managed to make after those horrible events at school. He tried to say something, tell them what had happened, but the words didn't come out. They were blocked in his throat by the sobs he couldn't hold back.

There was the sound of a chair falling over as Roy ran to the two of them, alarmed by Link's tone of voice. "What? What's going on?"

"Young Link's been run over by a car!" Link said, clearly panicking. "Where's he now?" He asked, grabbing Roan into his arms again. The boy pressed closer, trying to collect himself, but couldn't. He sobbed for a while, trembling with fear. His tiny hands tried to hold onto Link, but they didn't listen to him. His whole body was in chaos along with his mind and feelings.

"I-I… I c-called an ambu-ambulance… I don't k-know… I ra-ran here… I… There was n-no one home… I…" He managed to say between the sobs. Link lifted him into his arms and carried him gently to the couch, followed by Roy. The general looked at the both of them, wondering which one he should comfort, which one needed it more. Before he could say anything, Link declared that he was going to the hospital and ran to the door, grabbing Roy's jacket in hurry. Without even noticing the wrong jacket he rushed into the corridor, the door closing behind him with a loud bang.

After a small silence Roy sat down on the couch next to Roan, putting a gentle hand around him. Without a word Roan leaned against him, letting his sobs turn into loud, desperate cries.

The moments after that felt like ages.

-

There it is again. Some slight Link/Roy for _Jenny_ too, now I remember to say it. Sorry I haven't been able to write anything between the two of them, but it's kind of hard at this point of the plot.

Well, thanks for reading; I'd love to hear what you think!


	33. Kumo o Tsukamu Yoo Part 03 Crash And Gui...

**EPISODE 07: Kumo o Tsukamu Yoo Part 03 Crash and Guilt**

It had been an hour ago when Roan had appeared to Link's door, his cheeks stained with tears and his whole little body trembling in the fear and desperation he was feeling. At first they had both cried, regardless of who was holding them. Roan had cried against Roy's shoulder and vice versa, thus creating a bond of trust they never knew could be established by just crying.

Roy had managed to get himself together in just a matter of minutes, it was his duty to comfort Roan, make sure that he wouldn't be left alone in the middle of the most traumatic moment of his life and afterwards, scarred for life. He held Roan against his chest gently, looking at the clock ticking on the wall. Although he knew it was ticking just as fast as normally, it seemed like the pointers didn't move at all, as if they had been trapped into the horrible waiting forever. He could hear its silent ticking in the dim room; at times its rhythm was interrupted by Roan's desperate sobs. He gazed at the boy leaning against his chest; Roan was doing his best to hold himself together. Roy pressed him gently closer, knowing the pain, knowing the horrible pain waiting caused. It gnawed his heart with dull teeth, trying to drown him in desperation.

Sitting there in the darkening night they were both clinging onto each other desperately, looking for comfort from each other's arms. Roy could feel how Roan held onto his grey thin cotton shirt; his fists were probably completely white from pressing his shirt so tightly. To tell the boy that he was there to comfort him Roy hushed him gently and rocked him back and forth every time he burst to tears all over again when he tried to say something. They didn't need words to comfort each other; touches and being close were enough.

Roan calmed down amazingly fast every time he hugged him. It was almost as if the boy didn't know a safer place than an adult's warm, protecting hug. Roy couldn't help wondering why he calmed down so fast in his hug, was it because he didn't get enough hugs at home? Or was it because he was hugged only when the danger or worry was enormous?

"Th-thank you", Roan sobbed, breaking the dense silence.

Roy buried his fingers into the thick blond hair, ruffling it a little as if to lighten the mood. "No, thank you for telling us."

The boy turned to look at him with his large eyes wide open, the tears spilled from his eyes glittering on his cheeks. He tried to smile at him, tried not to think that Young Link had been run over by a car, but couldn't. Roan noticed this as well, his eyes watering in an instant. He buried his face into his hands, trying not to cry. Once again the redhead pulled him close, holding him against his chest to make him calm down.

"It's good that you came here when your parents weren't at home. It was a smart move." Roy said comfortingly after he had managed to make Roan calm enough to listen.

The boy answered with a sob, holding onto the redhead even tighter. Roy tried to take his hands off his shirt to make blood able to flow into them, but Roan let out a gasp, just holding even tighter, praying desperately that Roy wouldn't let go of him. The redhead couldn't help feeling a slight fatherly happiness from the way Roan blindly trusted that he was going to save the day, even when he probably knew that Roy had no power in saving Young Link's life.

"Not many children your age would've thought about it."

Roan still didn't answer. For another hour they spent in complete silence, at times disturbed by a sob. Roy wanted to call Link and ask what was going on, but he knew that the elf would surely tell them as soon as he got to know. He was feeling so worried, not only for Young Link but for Link as well. He knew he had torn Link's heart into tiny pieces, danced on it as Marth had said, how was Link going to take this? What if he would break?

But he was strong. Roy knew how strong and determined Link was, those were some of the reasons why he loved him. He never-

"I-I'm used to… being alone." He woke up from his thoughts as he heard Roan say that. The boy's voice quivered a little, those blue eyes looking at him guiltily.

"Why?" The redhead asked, hugging him tight. Those words Roan had just said were so familiar to him, as if he was holding and listening to himself from the past.

Roan seemed to hesitate for a moment, judging if he could trust Roy. He looked into the redhead's eyes for a long time, just judging. "My mom… left us a year back and ever si-since my dad's been paranoid… He keeps every memento of her… although she shot him."

"_Shot_ him?" Roy lifted the boy into the air from his arms. Roan looked away from him with a sad expression. The redhead noticed this and pulled the boy quickly into a hug, apologising quietly to him. He couldn't let his thoughts interfere now, he was a psychologist, he knew he needed to be very gentle to keep Roan talking.

Roy held him close to him, still shocked by the boy's revelation. He couldn't understand that the boy's parents would hurt each other. How could they do that to their child? Had they no thoughts about his happiness when they had been fighting? It was just insane. "Oh, god. No wonder you can still be so calm and collected."

"I… had to." Roan said, encouraged by what the redhead had said. "I w-was the only one in our family after she left… who was able of ma-making food and taking care of my dad."

"How… how could you even get over that?" The redhead asked, unable to understand. Roan was a true miracle, yet still a victim of his surroundings. He had turned the worst into his own good, becoming mentally stronger than any child his age. But also probably lost a huge part of his childhood, needing to step into the boots of a parent for his father.

"I couldn't." Roan said simply, his voice quivering again. Slowly he let himself fall limp in the general's hug, feeling safe, safer than ever before in his life. "I… I didn't go to school, I hated… my life and blamed myself… but then I saw my dad… he was watching television… and his eyes were all glassy... He was… he was like… d-d-dead..." The boy burst to tears, trying to talk, but his speech was a mess of words between the sobs.

Roy held him close; his heart was in a mess. He could never ever do something to his child that had happened to poor Roan. Although it had made him strong, it had also made him very cautious with people. And not only that bothered Roy's mind, he was worried about Young Link and Link, his child… He looked at the ceiling, heaving a heavy sigh, hoping that everything was alright. No matter of the strong hope there was a small voice bitching in the back of his mind that everything might be completely upside down and that was what scared him.

"You're a brave and strong kid." Roy said to Roan, smiling encouragingly as he ruffled his hair again.

The boy smiled back at him, hugging him tightly.

At the same time Dyne looked at Vyse with a dropped jaw for a long, long while. His brains were in a complete stop; unable to handle the information he had just received from the phone. Those

_"Hey, miss me already?"_

words echoed in his head like the booming of death bells. It had not been a girl on the phone, no matter how much he tried to convince himself about a girl with a low, manly voice. It had been a man, a man who had listened to Vyse's 'I love you.' How sick was that? And how had he ever been able to seduce Vyse like that?

"Ya…" He said slowly, grabbing a hold of the doorframe to hold him standing. Somehow still his feet gave in and he let himself fall on the floor, tears forcing their way out of his eyes. Anina hurried to him, crouching next to him to put a hand on his shoulder to comfort him and hold him back if he would try to hurt her child.

Vyse looked at the two with a scared expression, not knowing what to do. His heart was beating so fast he thought it was going to burst, his instincts were a mess, each one trying to tell him a different thing and above all, his mind was in a complete panic. It was such a weird feeling, like he was in a carousel, almost falling off but still holding on.

"Ya…" Dyne repeated. "Ya are never to meet this charlie again." He said, his voice trembling with anger. Vyse retreated further away from him, looking at him with wide eyes, hoping that it was just a bad dream. But of course, it was not a dream. He wouldn't have it that easy. Instinctively he took his pillow into his arms, shielding himself with it.

Vyse wanted to protest against his father; against the justice that he felt was so wrong. He wanted to get up and tell his father that he was happy with Marth; he was loved and cared, understood by an older man. He wanted to tell him that he had lost his virginity to Marth just to annoy him even more; he wanted him to know that their love was not kinky or dirty. Only people with close minds thought of them like some filthy rats, doing some obscene sexual acts in dirty and dark places. Dyne was wrong. Dyne didn't know Marth. If he knew him he would know that Vyse was better off with Marth than with any girl ever. Vyse was sure of that.

"Dyne, aren't ya being a little too hard on him? Ya don't have to be a show pony at home…" Anina tried to calm down her husband, actually only adding oil to the fire.

"I won't allow fairies in my house!" Dyne raged. He couldn't understand why his son was gay. He had never even mentioned the word 'gay' under their roof; he had made sure to talk about girls to him, what had gone wrong? Had this person that had answered the phone somehow hypnotised him or seduced him?

He glanced at Vyse, who was looking at him with fear glittering in his eyes. He could see the pain he had seen so many years ago, seeing his son like that, pressing his pillow tightly against his chest as if it would protect him; he could remember the pain himself. But back then it had been a mirror he had looked into, not his son's eyes.

He quickly shook off the thoughts, knowing that he had loved a woman and a man had seduced his son. They were two completely different things and in order to protect his son, he would do anything. He put the phone into his pocket with a determined expression on his face. "No phone either. You stay here and study, then maybe you'll come to your senses!"

"But I love him!" Vyse protested finally. His father couldn't take away the person he loved from him. Had he never been in love? Couldn't he understand how madly he missed Marth every second he didn't see his face? Couldn't he even try to put himself in his shoes for a while? Vyse clenched his fists, if his father would take his happiness away from him now, he would never forgive him.

"From now on, ya hate him!" Dyne stormed away from the room, his steps in the stairs were restless and mad. Anina stood at the door, looking after him with a pained expression on her face, her eyes narrowing slowly. With one glance Vyse could tell that she was going to say a few words to Dyne. She stared after him for a long time, completely lost in thought until she noticed Vyse looking at her with sadness in his eyes. Her expression softened, she tried to smile encouragingly as she walked to sit next to him.

"I'll talk to him, darlin'." She said quietly, trying to hug him, but Vyse pushed her away.

"Ya told me ya understood. I thought ya would've stood up for me", the brunette said, his voice quivered as he spoke, but he was trying to be brave. He was really angry with her parents now, especially with his father, but Anina hadn't even tried to stop him at all. She had just let him take away the love of his life from him. Was that understanding?

Anina sighed heavily; she knew how mad he was. "I'm sorry, lil' one. I'll do me best."

"Mom", Vyse said slowly, not looking at his mother. His voice was absolutely furious when he continued: "If ya and dad make me and Marth break up, I will never forgive ya."

Anina's eyes widened, this was just like from her past. She had used almost the same words to her parents when they had told her not to see Dyne ever again. She nodded to her son with a happy smile, but after she disappeared into the stairs from her son's room she could feel her blood boiling. Dyne would not take her son away from her.

No matter how much Vyse's father was afraid of gays, he would remember what it had been like for them to love each other. At least Vyse's boyfriend wasn't using drugs or hanging with some questionable gang, he was working for the S.F.B.I. in the murder department. He earned, he had a house of his own, a good job and by the look of it, he was one hell of a lover as well. But Anina couldn't be sure about that.

When she got downstairs, she took one deep breath before she started: "Dyne…" She said calmly.

"Don't try. I've made me decision." Dyne said strictly from the armchair he was sitting in.

"Like hell ya have, ya dill!" Anina snapped. "I'm his mother! Ya consult me as well before ya make any decisions of his life!"

"I'm his father!" Dyne protested, trying to read the newspaper he held in his hands.

Anina narrowed her eyes, taking a hold of the kitchen table. "And what? Ya think the best thing for yer queer son is to be a _prisoner_ at home? How clever!"

"It's for his own good!" Dyne said strictly. He knew what a pain Anina was when she was mad, but he was not going to let her have her way. Vyse was not going to be allowed to be gay, no matter what.

"Don't ya understand?" Vyse's mother said, frustrated. "Just holding him at home doesn't make him like sheilas again! Ya'll just turn him into an antisocial dag!"

There was a brief silence, Dyne was obviously thinking of what to say. It was usual to their fights because Anina was so quick at repartee when she was angry and sadly for her husband, most of her points were true. "But at least he will not do… the gross stuff with his boyfriend!"

"Love is love!" Anina snapped snarl, banging her hand against the table. She was trying to make Dyne notice how serious she was, but didn't realise that she was looking more comical than scary. "I never thought ya were so close-minded! Couldn't ya see how ya scared the living daylights out of him when ya scolded him?"

"Sometimes oldies need to use fear when teaching their ankle-biters." Dyne said calmly. "I am not going to let him continue this obscenity!" He said the last word with such hate and disgust that Anina took a few steps back. Although she agreed with Dyne that love between men was disgusting, she tried to get rid of the thought for her son's love. And she knew she would've never used the word 'obscenity'.

She narrowed her eyes. "Are ya trying to teach him to hide his feelings for the rest of his life?"

"No, I want him to be straight!" Dyne snapped, standing up. He was starting to get enough.

"Ya dill!" Anina continued, frustration mixing with her over boiling anger. "Ya just told him to hate his charlie, hate the bastard he loves most! Can't ya understand that he will never become straight?"

"He'll turn straight!" Dyne argued, throwing the newspaper on the floor.

Anina looked at him with a fire burning in her nougat eyes. "How do ya think ya're going to turn him straight? By showing him piccies of naked sheilas? If he's queer, he will not feel anything, no matter how many boobs and pussies ya show him!"

"This is just some teenage experiment! No man would be gay in reality!" Dyne argued back, surprising Anina with his denial. For a while she couldn't say anything, she had never thought that Dyne would go so far as if to deny the existence of gays and lesbians. Anina knew she was pushing it when she continued:

"Face it! Our son was queer from the day he was born! Ya loved him before, why couldn't ya love him now? Don't ya think it was hard for him to confess, knowing how much ya wanted him to have a sheila?"

"He never confessed! He just held his dirty secret all to himself!" Dyne let himself fall into his chair, looking at his feet. It was bad enough that Vyse was with a man, but why hadn't he told him? He had thought that in their house Vyse could talk to his parents, that they trusted each other. It hurt him to know that the boy kept secrets from him.

"You know why?" Anina asked jeeringly.

"Why?"

"Because he confessed to_ me_! He knew I would understand! He knew I wouldn't hurt him for loving!" Anina shouted.

"It's not love! Love cannot exist among men!"

With one long jump Anina was standing in front of her husband, her long black hair now messy. She raised her hand in her fit of anger and slapped him as hard as she could. Dyne let out a groan, taking a hold of his cheek and looking at her, more hurt mentally than physically. "Is _this_ really what ya're going to do the few last months yer son is underage? When he turns eighteen he'll leave this house if we won't let him be himself! After that he'll continue from where he left off! The only change here is, _darling_, that yer son will not hate his boyfriend, but _ya_." Anina pointed at Dyne, talking calmly with a jeering tone.

Dyne turned his head away, trying to deny what his wife had just said. But somewhere deep inside he knew it was the truth. If he really wanted to keep Vyse as his son and keep seeing him after he turned eighteen he would need to accept his gay lover. Even the thought made him tremble with anger.

Anina watched his reaction with a slight happiness. What she had tried to say had finally gone through and Dyne was thinking. It was not yet enough, but in time she would make her husband accept their queer son, if not because love is love, then because their son mattered to them and they didn't want to lose him forever. "If ya really love him, ya will go upstairs now and tell him ya still love him and that ya accept him. Then ya'll call his charlie and ask him over for dinner. Then we'll all have dinner together and _accept _the two of them. If we don't, _we lose our **son**_."

Dyne looked at her, somewhere deeper admiring how understanding she was. He burst to desperate cries when he finally realised that there was nothing he could do anymore except accept his son, there was not a single thing he could do or say to make him straight again. Anina took his head gently into her arms and pressed it against her chest, something she always did when he was upset. Heaving a heavy sigh she began stroking his hair, letting his cries become even more desperate.

Link didn't know how long he had been in the green and white hall of the hospital, waiting for a doctor to come and tell him what had happened. He tried to remain calm, but the fear crept in the back of his mind, the fear of Young Link never opening his eyes again. Never smiling or laughing again, skipping school, telling him to buy candy… He couldn't believe that all those could be gone, that he would need to learn to live alone, without Young Link and without Roy. One of the two most important persons in his life had already left him; he didn't know could he stand losing Young Link as well.

As if it wasn't bad enough to think that Young Link had been hit by a car and not knowing how badly he had been hurt, there was guilt lingering inside of him. He had never thought that Young Link would be run over by a car in the suburbs, where people knew children play outside and drive more carefully. He had never even considered the possibility that someone could accidentally hit him. And that was why Young Link hadn't had a helmet. Link let out a tiny sob, quieter than a whisper, prayer that everything would be all right.

He lifted his eyes from his feet when a doctor in a white coat walked to him, looking down at him with a sad yet soft gaze. He could feel how the fear grabbed his heart and clenched its fist, making his insides turn with the anxiety to know. He wanted to grab the doctor's white coat and shake him, take his anger against himself out on him, but he knew that he would never be let to see Young Link after that.

"You can come and see him now." The doctor said calmly.

Link jumped to his feet, grabbing the doctor from his shoulders. Although he tried to hold himself back, he couldn't do it completely, losing momentarily his control. "Is he all right?"

The doctor tore his hands off of him, glaring him at the same time. He knew it was normal for worried family members to act crazy when they were worried about their relatives, but it still annoyed him that they would touch him. "He's in a coma right now, but we're positive he'll wake up soon."

"Has he broken anything?" Link asked, taking a step back. He could handle the information about the coma; it was pretty normal in these kinds of situations. It helped the pain he felt in his heart to know that Young Link was still alive, strong as he was. He needed to be careful and calm, no matter what. No matter what.

"Well…" The doctor hesitated. "He wasn't wearing a helmet."

Link looked at his feet, wanting to cry. The doctor forced him to sit down before he continued calmly:

"…The car hit him first on his side, breaking his arm and a few ribs... He hit head against the street pretty hard."

"But is he _all right_?" The Hylian grabbed his coat, shaking him a bit. He could feel the tears forcing their way out of his eyes; it just wasn't possible to hold them back anymore. Instead of showing to the doctor that he was crying he turned his head away, wiping the tears away.

"That's… what I'm trying to tell you." The doctor said, feeling sorry for the elf. "There seems to have been slight bleeding in his brains, but we can't say yet which area was damaged."

"Can't you do any tests?" Link asked, looking at the floor. The worst had happened, something that would not have happened if he had been wearing a helmet. The guilt danced inside of him a wicked dance, blaming him heartlessly for Young Link's accident. The elf took a few calm breaths to hold him together, failing miserably.

"Well, everything in his body seems to be all right, but the damage in his brains is hard to detect. Even if we found the damaged are we couldn't be absolutely sure it's what's damaged. It's better to wait that he wakes up." The doctor said sadly, standing up. "He's in room 712, you're free to meet him now."

Link didn't even thank the doctor, he just ran towards the corridor, dodging the old people waiting for their appointments. For a moment that felt like ages he just ran, the worry inside of him only growing. It hurt him so much not to know what are had been damaged in Young Link's brains, what area had been damaged because he hadn't told the boy to wear a helmet. It could be anything, he might not speak or move or hear or maybe he wouldn't understand anything anymore. Maybe he would be a completely paralysed vegetable.

He finally found the room and bolted in, seeing the tiny figure on the bed. The halogen lamps above them flickered a little, the machines next to Young Link's bed made steady beeping sounds, telling that everything was all right. At least for now.

Link looked at Young Link sleeping peacefully on the hospital bed, around his head was a thick bandage, covering one eye. His lips were dry, although the doctors had tried to clean him up after getting to the hospital, he still had traces of blood on his lips and cheeks and hair. His arm was in a large package, broken. A white bandage covered his tiny chest as well, following the steady rhythm of his chest going up and down as he breathed through his sleep.

Link let out a heavy sigh, closing his eyes. He wanted to escape the world into some happy place where he wouldn't need to face the world alone, but the constant bleeping of the machines kept him in the real world. He took the tiny, motionless hand in his, drawing quick panicking breathes as he held his tears back. He tried to apologise, apologise for being such a bad guardian to let him go without a helmet, but all that came out was a wheeze, the tears held back smothered his words.

Then he finally broke. He fell to the floor, crying. It couldn't be possible that he would never see Young Link alive again, only this motionless doll on the hospital bed, sleeping peacefully until the end of time.

After a time that felt like ages to Peach, Natasha smiled happily, letting out a squeal. "_There_ it comes!"

In the countryside Peach looked out of the window, her eyes widening. Towards them was coming a heavy train, coughing large clouds of smoke angrily to the sky. Its massive black body neared them steadily, clunking on the rails. Peach couldn't help feeling that everything else became quiet when the train was around; around them nothing made a sound.

The sound of the train's angry whistle cut through the air, alarming Peach and along with her, the child inside of her. Its scream was long, demanding them to get out of the way. Peach glanced at Natasha quickly, hoping that the woman would come to her senses, start the car and drive away, but Natasha just looked at the train with a smile. It was as if she was in some kind of a trance, in a world of her own where she knew everything would be all right. She was in a world where the wailing of the whistle couldn't reach her; nothing could anymore.

There was a moment of silence when the whistle fell quiet. Peach found herself holding her breath, hugging her stomach tightly as if to comfort the child. It kicked madly inside of her, probably trying to run for its life.

As the train came closer, the whistle screamed again, trying to warn them, tell them that they would die if they just stood there. Peach covered her ears with her hands, hoping that all this would be over soon, that she would die fast and painlessly.

Even though she held her hands on her ears she could hear how another sound joined the whistle's desperate cry, the screeching of the rails as the train broke, sparkles flying in the air. She could feel her ears hurting from those sounds, like a thousand needles ramming her eardrums.

The screeching continued, it came closer, closer, closer. She could feel the desperate prayer forming in her mouth, the one last thing that could save her, if not in this life, in the next. It escaped her lips as a chant without her even noticing. She chanted and chanted, hoped for God himself to intervene and save her pathetic soul.

She screamed as the car flew into the air, jumping one huge leap from the first crash with the train. In a second the train had caught up on it and it was being pushed forward with massive force, rattling in front of the train as it braked. The sides were crushing towards each other from the pressure on both sides, crushing like origami. Their car was nothing compared to the train's mass.

Then it began rolling around, Natasha and Peach rolled inside the car as it was crushing tinier and tinier. Peach screamed, she didn't know what to do or how to act, she let the panic take her over, screaming until no voice came out anymore.

Everything stopped. The screeching, the rolling, the rattling. There was a puff of smoke that covered everything for a while, a whistle from the train. Everything was still, like they were in a picture. Moments after moments, nothing but shocked silence. After a while the bravest of birds started singing again and upon hearing their encouraging tweeting Peach realised that she was still alive.

God had intervened.

**EPISODE 07: Kumo o Tsukamu Yoo Part 03 Crash and Guilt**

That was close, huh? Okay, before you start telling me that in real life the car would've been as gone as a fly in the windshield, I want to say that the train had braked a lot before hitting the car. I'm not sure can these things really happen, but this is a story after all.

Oh well, thanks for reading yet again. I'd love to hear what you think!


	34. Kumo o Tsukamu Yoo Part 04 I Need Some S...

**EPISODE 07: Kumo o Tsukamu Yoo Part 04 I Need Some Sleep**

Peach hadn't been able to move after the car had stopped. Maybe it was due to the shock or the panic, surviving something like a train crash wasn't actually a piece of cake for the mind. All she felt was a huge relief, the joy of being able to see and breath and hear, it was something she couldn't describe with words. At the same time she could feel the worry of never being able to walk again or move at all. A life being only a bystander, a viewer, a watcher, she couldn't imagine something like that. Her beautiful body, destroyed by the baby would lie on the hospital bed where no one, absolutely no one would check her out.

The baby didn't worry her at the moment. All that she cared about was herself. She didn't want to think about losing the child now that it had already ruined her body, it couldn't let her down now. It would let her catch Roy, no matter if he wanted it or not.

Slowly she looked around as the paramedics took her into the ambulance on the unsteady stretcher. She wanted to ask them what had happened, what had happened to her, but no voice came out. Everything was just like a television show in front of her, she could watch but not affect.

In the ambulance she just looked at the ceiling, the doctor's face appeared in front of her every once in a while, saying something comforting. His words were a mess of fluctuations, nothing coherent, but they still made her feel a little calmer. It was comforting that someone was paying attention to her, someone was keeping her away from Natasha, someone was trying to save her.

At some point she began falling asleep, her eyelids felt heavy as iron, forcing their way shut. Maybe it was happening due to the heavy dose of morphine they had given her to make her calm. The voices faded away slowly as a sweet dark cottony feeling took her over, massaging her gently until she fell asleep.

Peach woke up in the hospital room's quietness, seeing the bright halogen lamps right above her, blinding her immediately. Cursing a little she tried to sit up, but her foot sent a thundering shock of pain through her body, letting her know that it had been broken. Another fleet of curses escaped her mouth. Along with it her side began hurting, but not nearly as much. Slowly she lay down again, closing her eyes, hoping for the pain to pass.

In a few minutes the pain settled down into a manageable level, throbbing a little everywhere. She let out a heavy sigh, relieved that she had been saved, maybe by some divine force from the heavens, maybe by just pure luck. It didn't matter, all that mattered was that she was alive; she had survived the crash Natasha had planned to kill her.

Speaking of the devil, she thought that maybe she had been lucky enough to get rid of her forever. Maybe she had died in the car crash, never even knowing that her final trick for the media had failed, that her target was alive! Peach chuckled a little at the thought, that bitch Natasha would deserve it after trying to kill her.

Then came the worry about her child. It had been in the crash as well, rolling around with them. Knowing how delicate unborn children are, Peach felt how the fear and uncertainty of losing her child crawled up her spine, whispering nightmares into her ears. She tried to stop her imagination from showing her the images of Roy getting to know that his child had been killed in her womb and how he would walk away, very fast. Then she would be all alone again, left by another man just like so many times before. But never before she had been so close to gaining someone completely. She knew that if Roy walked away now it meant more pain than ever before.

Peach woke up from her thoughts as someone said from the bed next to hers:

"So, you decided to live…"

As she glanced over, she saw Natasha looking at her with a devilish glint in her eyes. Her hair was full of blood, glued on her face by the blood from the wounds on her head. Her right arm was in a thick package, probably broken. Hot panic ran through Peach's body, fast as a bullet, alerting her every nerve to make her muscles move. She tried to get up to run away from Natasha, but the pain in her foot was too great. She managed to sit up, but by then her side started hurting too as if someone was gnawing it hard.

"You know, maybe it'll be cleaner to kill you with a surgical knife." Natasha continued contently. "Can't you see the headlines? _"Woman kills woman with a surgical knife"_ and it will be on the front page, with my picture on it." She said confidently, looking at Peach with a smile. She sure thought it was a good idea, but what about her?

Natasha jumped to the floor from her bed, starting towards the corridor to find the surgical knife she spoke about. Before she got to the door she fell over on the floor, maybe from the heavy dose of painkillers and such. As she got up, she dragged her left foot behind her, reminding Peach a little about Stanley Kubrick's version of the Shining. Remembering that didn't make her feel any safer, she could only see the maniacal expression on Jack's face in front of her, those eyes glowing with insanity.

She knew she had to get out of the room before Natasha would come back. If she wouldn't make it Natasha would surely cut her into tiny pieces, sad tiny pieces that wouldn't remind anyone of her ever again. She would just be buried as an unknown patient, killed in a very brutal way. She would need to do anything in order to get out of the room before Natasha came back.

From the corridor Roy stepped into the hospital room, lit with bright halogen lamps. Behind him came Marth who had just heard about the incident and on his face lingered worry, for his friend and his child. The elf was standing by the bed, holding his younger self's hand with an empty look in his eyes as if he had not really been there. A if he had just been an empty shell, the real him hiding somewhere deep inside of him. Roan hesitated to come into the room with Roy and the noble as he saw Link, but the redhead gave him an encouraging smile as he pulled him after him.

Together they walked to the bed, looking at the face of Young Link. Roan tried to hold himself together, but in the end he wailed and buried his face into Roy's side. The redhead rested a hand on his head, ruffling his hair softly, trying to tell him without words that everything was going to be all right. Maybe he was just giving the poor child false hope, but that was better than no hope at all.

Marth looked at Young Link sadly, wondering how could anyone run over a child and in the suburbs. People knew there were kids there, playing on the street and they drove carefully. Or they were supposed to drive that way, allowing the children to keep on playing outside. With a sad smiled on his lips he put his hand gently on Link's that held Young Link's motionless hand, turning his gaze on the elf.

"I'm sorry, Link. It must be horrible for you."

Roy noticed his pain as well, holding Roan close with one hand he placed the other on Link's back. "But I'm sure he'll be all right."

Marth agreed quietly with a nod. "All we can do now is to keep ourselves in one piece."

A complete silence fell over them after that, at times broken by Roan's sobs and Roy's hushing. They were all clearly waiting for Young Link to sit up with a smile on his face, a smile that would make their day and ask why they all looked so sad. He would laugh, he would smile and be happy that he wouldn't need to go to school. Then he would ask for candy or maybe even demand it, still not understanding why everyone seemed so sad. But no matter how long they stood there, seconds, minutes and hours passing, Young Link didn't even twitch.

When Roy had finally managed to make Roan calm again he walked quietly to the noble, resting one lazy hand on his shoulder. Their eyes met, both filled with sadness.

"Marth, maybe we should leave him alone for a while." The redhead whispered, referring to Link.

Marth nodded calmly, slowly backing away from the bed. As they closed the room's door, Link woke up from his thoughts, glancing after them quickly. For a moment he wanted to run after them and confront Roy, ask him the question that had bothered him for a while already, but in the end he knew he would be happier without knowing the answer. He had never thought that the reason why Roy had dumped him had been so obvious.

If he had just noticed it before this had had to happen.

Behind the door in the corridor the three walked towards the small diner in the hospital, now pretty empty. Only a few patients sat there, reading newspapers or comics and drinking coffee. At the counter stood a bright young woman, her smile made them all feel a little better.

"Are you hungry, Roan?" Roy asked, seeking for an eye contact with the boy.

Roan glanced at him, nodding slightly. With a smile the redhead gave him money to buy something to eat and the boy left the table to talk with the woman at the counter.

"…Where's Vyse?" Roy asked mainly to start a conversation. He knew something had happened on the phone and maybe Marth was ready to talk about it now. If he weren't, then he would let it drop until the noble would bring it up.

Marth looked at the table for a while, heaving a heavy sigh. "Do you remember when he called me during dinner?"

"Mm-hm." Roy answered, trying to sound as casual as possible, but the incident with Young Link made him nervous and restless. At times he glanced at Roan at the counter, maybe to make sure he wouldn't get into trouble.

"It wasn't Vyse. It was his _father_." The noble said slowly.

"Did he force you to break up with Vyse?" The redhead asked after a slight surprised silence, now sincerely worried for his friend. He knew how much Marth loved Vyse, mostly because he knew how much he loved Link and he just kept comparing their love to theirs.

"I haven't heard anything from him since then." The noble glanced up from the table to the counter restlessly. "His father's very homophobic. I… I don't know what I should do." Although Marth's voice and expression were calm, Roy could understand that deeper under his calm mask he was crying in desperation.

"What if you met his father? Could you talk him out of it?" Roy asked, trying to smile as he continued: "I'm sure you if anyone can persuade him to like you."

Marth sighed again. "I don't think I could… I don't even know how."

"You don't need to know how." Roy said encouragingly. "You're one of those people that can't be hated."

"Thank you, Roy. I think…" He fell quiet as Roan returned to the table. Marth probably didn't want to worry the child with his problems, having to see his friend being hit by a car was surely enough for a ten-year-old child.

"What did you get?" The redhead asked, somehow with Roan he felt so fatherly, maybe because of comforting him earlier on.

"An… apple turnover... Here's the change." The boy gave the redhead a few coins as he began to eat.

For a while they sat in silence again, wondering what to say. It felt weird to talk about normal things, try to act like nothing had happened when Young Link was in a coma a couple of floors up. More natural was to be in complete silence, everyone thinking what would happen next, what surprise was waiting for them just behind the corner.

"Well, maybe we should go back to Link." Roy said as the boy finished eating. Roan nodded a little, looking at the table.

Marth hesitated for a moment before saying: "Roy… I think I'll go meet him tonight. Not his father."

"I'll call you if anything happens." The redhead said, smiling encouragingly or as encouragingly as he could.

"Thank you. It was nice meeting you, Roan." The noble said as he left.

Roan just looked at Marth with a glassy look in his eyes. "Ye-yes."

Slowly they walked back to the room, with every step closer they could feel the air getting thicker and heavier, filled with pain and sadness. Instinctively Roan pressed closer to Roy, who put a hand gently around him. Strangers who saw them probably thought of them as a father and a child, they were so close mentally and physically.

Roy opened the door to the room as quietly as he could, looking around curiously to see if Link was still in one piece. For a second he panicked when the elf wasn't standing next to Young Link's bed, but then he noticed him sitting in a chair in the corner of the room, staring emptily in front of him.

Roan walked straight to Young Link, taking his tiny hand in his. He managed to stay quiet not to worry Roy, but tears still poured down his cheeks. Feeling the small elf's pulse didn't make him feel any better; it just reminded him of the crash. He had heard it, right when he had thought that his life was finally going to be happy again, the loud thump, immediately followed by a crash and the short scream Young Link had managed to make before passing out. When he had turned to look, it had already been over. It had been so fast, in nothing but a few seconds the driver of that car had hit Young Link, sending him to the hospital they were in with brain damage and broken bones.

Roan could remember it so lively, all the voices, the worried gasps of the people who had seen it, had seen Young Link fly in the air and hit the ground. Roan had seen the bloodstains on the car's buffer, the splatters on its windshield, the blood on the asphalt, covering his only and best friend.

He hadn't even run to him first, he had opened the door to their house and fetched the phone, dialling 911 before panic could reach him, before the information that everything had really happened hit him. Only after the phone call he had run to Young Link, sobbing, realising what had happened. He hadn't been able to touch him in fear of breaking him; he had just watched how the crimson blood flowed towards the sewer. The car had already been gone, the driver was probably too embarrassed or shocked to stay and watch had the child he had run over really died.

He closed his eyes, trying to forget all that, but it was impossible. It was like a tape, playing over and over again in the back of his mind, repeating the sounds and the images, the blood… Roan wiped his eyes quickly, noticing that he had cried all the time and the tears had rained on Young Link's motionless hand, glittering on it like morning dew. But that was all they did. Young Link just kept on sleeping.

Roy had walked to Link, knowing that the elf needed more comforting than anyone else. None of them had ever even thought about the possibility that Young Link could get run over by a car, if it had passed their minds they had dismissed the thought as ridiculous. Then, when they had least expected, it had happened.

"You alright?" The redhead asked quietly.

Link looked at him emptily for a while before turning his gaze away. "Roy… Why did you leave me?"

The redhead frowned. He didn't want to argue about the same thing yet again, they had been through it at least a million times, each and every one ending with him leaving the room, angry as an aggravated lion. A hospital, next to Young Link's bed wasn't a place to argue. "Because of Peach. Because she's pregnant with my child." He said simply.

"Even though we could've been a family?"

Roy sighed, feeling how his blood started to boil already. "Link… We've been through this, let's not start arguing about it yet again."

"Roy… I know. But… what I realised today… is that you left me also because I'm no good to be a guardian." Link said finally, letting out a burst of breaths as if he was trying not to cry.

Roy gasped in surprise: "That's not true!" He noticed how Roan flinched, looking up from Young Link's peaceful face. His large blue eyes were full of tears, those milky white cheeks glittering with the salty liquid. He gave the boy an encouraging smile, hoping that he would understand.

Link, however, didn't answer.

"Link, I've never seen Young Link complain about how you raised him. You understand him. You respect him. _Why _wouldn't you be a good guardian?" The redhead asked, pulling Link on his feet and hugging him. He could feel the blush spreading on his cheeks as he did that, but it didn't matter. All that mattered was that Link would feel better. "You c-couldn't possibly know that so-some idiot would run him over in the suburbs." He blushed even brighter because he stuttered; every time he was embarrassed he kept on blushing and stuttering, each time only making himself more and more embarrassed. It was so annoying.

"But I let him go without a helmet…" The elf said, reacting to his hug by holding him tightly against him, burying his face into Roy's neck. The redhead closed his eyes and leaned his head on Link's, patting him gently on the back. At times Link drew a few fast, panicking breaths, but managed to hold himself together.

Even after a long while Link wouldn't calm down. He held onto Roy tighter and tighter, at times whispering something. The redhead couldn't understand the mess of words smothered by his neck, thus never answering, just holding Link close. They were completely quiet for a long time before Link started drawing those quick breaths again. Then he whispered something again, sniffling a little but definitely not crying. As Link fell quiet again, breathing a little more evenly the redhead took a hold of his head, leaning his forehead against his gently as he looked at him in the eye.

"Don't blame yourself. It was the driver's fault. _Not_ yours."

Link closed his eyes, nodding a little. "I know." What he had tried to say had been 'I love you', but Roy had never answered. The elf could help feeling that the general was avoiding the subject, avoiding answering because he was still in love with him. It wouldn't matter how many children Peach would give birth to, Roy still loved him although he was desperately trying not to.

"No, you don't." Roy said. For a while he didn't want to do it, he wanted to keep looking at him like this, waiting for the next burst of breaths. But in the end, it wouldn't help at all, his words were just his words, his touches were a friend's touches. Those touches couldn't possibly comfort Link as much as one single kiss could. Gently he pressed his lips on his, holding his breath. Link answered his kiss slowly by pressing his lips against his as well, nothing more, holding him as close as he could. Roy leaned into the touch, feeling how Link seemed to find some solace in their kiss. And that was all he needed.

They didn't notice Roan's sad eyes on them, wondering if Young Link was queer as well.

Elsewhere Marth had arrived in front of Vyse's house. He was pulling himself together, getting ready to face Vyse's parents as he would ask him out. No matter what, he would talk to Vyse that night. If he had to face his parents, then he had to, but he would certainly not stay for a cup of coffee. They would probably try to crucify him or something as horrible as that, just because he had "seduced" or "enchanted" their son. Right.

Luckily he saw the door open and Vyse stepping out into the night, carrying a trash bag with him. He put the bag on the porch to put his jacket on before he started walking towards the trashcan on the street. But the Vyse he saw was completely different from the normally bright and brisk boy. Marth was surprised to see someone like Vyse looking so down, hanging his head and looking at his feet. It was as if someone had died. Without any thought he began walking towards the brunette, very carefully not to scare him away.

Vyse noticed from the corner of his eye a figure stepping into the omni of the streetlight as he arrived to the trashcan. He had never liked to go out alone when it was dark, because he hated dark. Every bad thing happened in the dark, everyone was raped in the dark and every (stupid) monster was hiding in the dark. Quickly he turned to face him, his eyes widening in surprise. The thought of a murderer or even a monster had passed his mind but he didn't want to admit it.

"Marth!" The happiness and the relief of seeing the noble made him want to dance. In a second his face lit up, the most important person of his life had come to see him, come to see if everything was all right.

The noble smiled sweetly, taking a step closer to him, offering a hug. "I'm sorry I didn't come earlier."

"Diddly squat, just don't come closer, otherwise me oldies'll recognise ya." Vyse said, reflexively taking a step back with a sad look in his eyes.

"I'm sorry for the trouble." The noble nodded sadly. "The reason why I didn't come earlier is because my friend's child was run over by a car."

Vyse's eyes widened. "That's bad! Will he be apples?"

"He's in a coma, but the doctors are positive that he'll wake up soon." The noble ascertained, although he was trying to hide it, it seemed as if he didn't believe his words.

"I really hope he will." The brunette answered, smiling encouragingly. The tone of his voice softened into a loving one as he continued: "Marth, I miss you."

"I miss you too." Marth said gently, hoping that Vyse wouldn't have it so hard.

The brunette kept a tiny break, just smiling at him. "Me oldies are real drongos at times… Well, not me mom, but dad. He told me to hate ya."

The noble's jaw almost dropped, but he managed to keep his cool. "He must really have a phobia."

"He could try to understand. It's not like we're having it cake either." Vyse said, glancing back at the house. It was so unusual to him to act like that, like he was… bitter? Was he _bitter_?

The noble thought for a while before he said: "If it's so hard for you to stay here why won't you come with me?"

"Because I have nowhere to go after that. And even if I had, I couldn't pay for it." Vyse said sadly.

"What do you mean by 'nowhere to go'? You can always come over and you're welcome to stay as long as you want to." The noble smiled under the streetlight. He looked so sweet just by standing there with a gentle smile, like an angel. Only the halo was missing.

Vyse hesitated. The offer was alluring. "But I still couldn't pay for it."

"You don't need to. You're a student, I'd be an ass to ask for money." Marth said, he had obviously been thinking about that.

"Marth…" Vyse said dreamily, already picturing their perfect life together.

"Yes?" Calm as ever.

"I'll come here tonight at twelve." The brunette said as he flashed a smile to the one he loved before turning to walk back inside. Marth smiled after him for a while, leaning against the streetlight, just looking at the house. He wasn't mad at Vyse's parents for worrying about him, he understood that they wanted to protect their son, but he still wanted to be with him. He would've understood if Vyse had told him that he wanted him to stay away, but the brunette had asked him to come to pick him up later.

Before he walked out of the streetlight, he decided that they would make love that night unlike ever before.

In the hospital Roy made Link sit down again, but the elf pulled him into his lap. In the back of his mind a voice tried to tell him to get up quickly, but it was so warm and so safe. He pressed closer to Link, looking away from him with a bright blush on his face. "You _need _some sleep, Link", he said, knowing that they all did.

"I don't _need_ sleep until he wakes up." The elf answered as he wrapped his arms around him.

The redhead was quiet for a moment. "Are you planning to stay up no matter how long it takes?"

"Yes." Link answered softly.

"…Then allow me to stay up by your side." Roy said, hiding his blush into Link's deep red shirt.

"I can go get some coffee if you want." Roan said, looking at them from the bed. Roy blushed all over again, nodding. He hung his head to hide his blush as he gave the boy money enough to get them two cups of coffee. Roan smiled a little as he disappeared into the corridor.

He walked into the diner, looking at the customers with sad eyes. His mother had always told him to smile when his eyes met with someone else's eyes, but right now he couldn't force himself to smile. Instead he turned his gaze on his feet, avoiding seeing anyone. That way he wouldn't need to fake a smile.

He gave the bright woman the money, asking for coffee. The woman smiled at him happily, asking if he wanted milk or sugar in them or if he wanted some special coffee, like macchiato or ristretto. Roan took a step back almost instinctively, not knowing what to say. He just looked at her, hoping that she would make the decision for him. The woman poured normal coffee to the plastic cups, smiling at him. As she handed the coffees she gave him a few napkins to go with them.

Roan began walking towards Young Link's hospital room again, looking at the coffees with a focused expression. He didn't want to spill them now because those two liked him and he didn't want to make any mistakes to make it change. He really wanted to be with Young Link if he was ever going to wake up and his guardians were both very nice. He had never trusted anyone like he trusted Roy, but it felt good, good to have someone whom he could talk to, ease the pain inside of him.

As he glanced up from the plastic cups, they almost fell from his hands, but he was able of holding them with some basic instinct controlling his hands. A quick thought ran through his head;it was as if seeing Young Link being run over hadn't been enough for him.

Roan looked at the brown-haired woman with the surgical knife in her right hand for a moment without being able to say or do anything at all. She looked at him with a puzzled expression, her chocolate brown eyes sparkling.

He took a sharp breath before calling out to her: "_Mother_!"

**EPISODE 07: Kumo o Tsukamu Yoo Part 04 I Need Some Sleep**

HA! I bet you weren't expecting that! At least I hope you weren't….

Researcher: Everyone know…

Keeper: …Tasty.

runs off crying-

Researcher: Thank read… Review tasty.


	35. Kumo o Tsukamu Yoo Part 05 The Right Kin...

**Kumo o Tsukamu Yoo Part 05: The Right Kind Of Wrong**

Vyse opened his room's window as quietly as he could. Even the quietest clicks could be heard, those he had never heard before. They made him jumpy and scared, waiting for his parents to show up at the door anytime. He tried to convince himself that the sounds he made were so quiet that no one could hear them, but it didn't help at all. He was doing something completely forbidden, running away from home and even worse, now that he was grounded. His parents would be twice as mad as normally if they caught him.

He got the window open, the fresh night air flowing into the room. It's cold touch felt refreshing and encouraging, clearing his mind for the few first seconds he just breathed. With one deep breath he returned to his mission, picking up the heavy bag from the floor. It contained nothing but his clothes, something he never wanted to give up.

With a quiet grunt he tossed the bag out of the window, hearing the soft thump it made as it hit the grass. He glanced after it quickly, hoping that it hadn't landed on his mother's flowers because she really loved those plants and he didn't want to hurt her for something Dyne had done.

Everything was fine, the house was quiet, the bag hadn't hit any of his mother's flowers, he was going to be with Marth, but still for a while he hesitated. Escaping through the window looked so much easier in TV-shows. Maybe that was because the shows couldn't make the viewer feel the vulnerability of realising that if he fell he would be seriously injured. They never seemed to think about these things in TV-shows. Vyse dismissed his thoughts as he tried the rain pipe if it could hold his weight, half hoping that it wouldn't and half hoping that it would turn into stairs that would take him safely to the ground.

Neither one happened, of course. With a deep breath he collected his courage, thinking about Marth he jumped out of the window and slid down the rain pipe. The whole time he hoped that he wasn't making any sounds. If his parents woke up now they would surely explode in their anger.

He fetched the bag from the grass, noticing that Marth was already waiting for him in front of their house, the motor of the car humming silently. He ran to the car, glancing back at the house at times over his shoulder, making sure that there wasn't a light in his parents' bedroom's window. Quickly he opened the door of the car, throwing his bag in as he sat down on the seat. Marth snorted as he put the bag to the back seat, rubbing a little his sore nose it had hit.

The brunette kissed him the first thing after that, kissed like the boy he was, in love for the first time. Marth answered his kiss, smiling as he held him as close as he could. He was unbelievably happy that Vyse was with him, no matter if it meant enraging his parents by stealing him away from them. By coming Vyse had showed him that he cared for him as well, loved, and wanted to be with him.

When he had been waiting for him he hadn't been sure would Vyse really come. He hadn't been able to think that someone so young could be so sure about his feelings towards the someone from the same gender that he would be ready to run away from home, from the only place so far in his life that had given him protection and comfort. It was a huge step. It was admirable. It just made him fall in love even deeper.

After the kiss Vyse looked at him with an excited smile, there was a tiny fear lingering in his eyes, the fear of not being able to live without his parents, but he knew that if he stayed with his parents, he would die of longing. He just couldn't be away from Marth and they had to understand it. If they didn't believe his words, they would believe his actions.

„Are you sure about this?" The noble asked, obviously he had noticed the uncertainty.

Vyse smiled, laying his doubts to rest: „I've never been so sure. If I have to choose between ya and me oldies, there's no doubt I'll pick ya."

Marth began driving as he said with a happy smile: „That's what I wanted to hear."

After they came home they made love, unlike ever before. They hadn't been away from each other for more than just a day, but they had been so scared, so scared that they might not be able to see each other again that meeting now was something divine, a gift from gods.

Vyse had never before experienced Marth the way he was that night. He was more passionate than before, so much gentler, more talkative. Through the whole time he repeated quietly how much he loved him, at times only mouthing, sometimes the words just pouring out of his mouth, out of his heart. Vyse couldn't do anything except hang onto him like a burr, answering his confessions with his owns, trying to keep up with him.

Knowing that the next day they both had to get up early they went to sleep right after that. Vyse wouldn't have wanted to go to sleep yet, he would've wanted to hear those words all over and over again, but he understood how important it was to Marth to be brisk at work. Wordlessly he just snuggled close to the noble, enjoying the warmth of his hands as he started to drift to sleep.

Vyse came home from school, seeing the noble at the stove, making food. As he closed the door Marth lifted his eyes from the frying pan to flash him a smile with a casual ‚hello' before continuing cooking. He looked very focused in what he was doing, just like a real cook. What upset Vyse a little was that he wasn't wearing an apron to cover his Batistini shirt. Tsk tsk.

The brunette took off his denim jacket and threw it on the couch, completely ignoring the coat rack. He walked next to Marth to follow what the noble was making, just to make sure that it wasn't something very important (or messy because of the Batistini shirt). He quickly lifted Marth's arm and slid between him and the stove, looking at the noble with large, pleading eyes.

„Let's do it." He said like a child. To improve the effect of his words he calmly opened the noble's belt buckle and his zipper with a smug smile, letting his pants fall down to his ankles.

„Shouldn't we eat first?" Marth answered, still slightly surprised by the sudden suggestion. He continued with a smile: „Your stomach might growl right in the middle and spoil the mood."

Vyse snorted with the smug smile still on his face. „But it would be a shame to put your pants back on."

Marth thought for a while, but couldn't come up with anything to tease the brunette any more. Also, he didn't really want to eat first, but he knew how important it was for teenagers to eat. They were still growing and needed all the energy they could get.

Vyse had probably understood his long thinking the wrong way, because he was hugging him gently instead of doing anything arousing. Either way was fine with Marth, he was good at adjusting to people. Gently he rubbed the brunette's back, pressing him closer at the same time while keeping an eye on the food, he didn't want to ruin it.

After a while he would've needed to add some water into the pan (and lift his pants), but didn't have the heart to push Vyse away, not even for a few seconds. Instead he took the pan off the stove quietly, doing the best he could to hold the brunette close to him. Although he was there in his arms, he still missed him.

„Marth... Is it okay to be gay?" The brunette asked suddenly.

The noble sighed. It wasn't an easy question Vyse had asked him. Of course, it was natural for him to wonder about it since he was still so young and unsure of his sexuality; also his father's homophobic influence had probably played a huge role in his uncertainty. It wasn't easy to face his father's anger at something he couldn't change himself. Marth knew that although Vyse would act straight for his father, he would still love men; there was no denying of that. But it was no use pushing him lower when he was already down.

„I can't tell you that. I can only tell you how I feel." The noble said quietly.

Vyse sighed. He had obviously answered in an unsatisfactory way, but he couldn't help it. Asked after a while the brunette asked him: „How do ya feel?"

„…I feel that either way is fine as long as there's love." Marth said, hugging him tight. „I, for one, am bisexual. To me, there are some differences between women and men, but nothing that I couldn't overcome."

Vyse was quiet for a long while again. „Thanks, Marth... I love ya."

„I love you too."

Another silence fell over them. They didn't say anything, just held each other. Marth couldn't help the feeling that Vyse was wondering that maybe he had made the wrong decision by leaving his family for his lover. But actually the brunette wasn't thinking that at all, he was just enjoying the warm hug of the one he loved.

He had to let go when he noticed how hungry he actually was. „My stomach's growling. What's for food?" He asked, and as if Anina had heard his question in their tiny home she said to Dyne:

"We're having Chilli con Carne today."

Dyne looked at her slowly, smiling a little. He was fine with anything Anina make as long as she would make food. The issue with Vyse had shaken their relationship a little, but he knew that Anina would understand him, if not right now, then when Vyse would stop his experiment. She was not going to leave him. That wasn't possible.

As the brunette passed through his head, he couldn't help the feeling that something was wrong. He couldn't explain it, it was just a hunch, awhisper somewhere in the back of his mind, strong enough to make him feel uneasy. At first he tried to hide it, but it seemed that every time his eyes met with Anina's, she knew what he was thinking about. She was just as worried.

Vyse hadn't come down from his room all day.

He hadn't come to eat breakfast, they hadn't seen him reading the comics in the newspaper, he hadn't uttered a word. They knew that he was probably upset with what had happened, but Anina hoped that he would try to get over his pain and forget his love so that their family could be whole again, just like always before. Dyne and Vyse would be a father and son again.

„I wonder what's with Vyse..." Anina said, implying that Dyne had something to do with it. She didn't want to argue about his son's sexuality anymore with her husband, all she wanted was that they could get along. Get along just like before, just like when they hadn't known that Vyse was gay. It shouldn't have affected their relationship that much, but it had. Dyne's phobia had scared her son, scared the living daylights out of him. It was time for him to do something about it.

„He's probably thinking." Vyse's father said quickly, turning the page of his newspaper.

„It's almost dinner and he still hasn't come down... It's very unusual." Anina continued, chopping her ingredients while acting as if she was talking about the weather.

Dyne didn't answer. He just sighed, glancing at her.

„I think ya should go talk with him." She said absent-mindedly, looking out of the kitchen window to their front yard. „Tell him that we're going to accept him just the way he is... and his charlie."

Vyse's father stood up, throwing the newspaper on the floor. „Anina, stop that! I have made me mind!" He said and sat down, collecting the newspaper into his hands again. "Our son is straight. This is just some experiment that will pass."

Anina sighed heavily. „Whatever ya say. Just don't spit the dummy when he leaves home the day he turns eighteen."

Fear flashed in Dyne's eyes. „It will _pass_."

„Maybe." Anina answered calmly. „But I would still talk to him."

Dyne grunted, standing up and walking past her. No, it was more like stomping, the steps of an aggravated yet defeated man. „If it makes ya grin like a shot fox I'll do it."

„Thank you, darlin'", she said. „Just remember what it was for us."

Dyne wouldn't answer; he was already on his way to Vyse's room to talk with his son. Maybe this time he would try to understand, maybe seeing their lil' koalas big nougat eyes watering would soften his heart like they always softened hers.

Anina returned to her cooking, thinking about their past. Back then Dyne had been the leader of a gang that sold drugs, something that her parents had never approved of. She didn't blame them for being worried, at least not anymore, but back then she had been head over heels for Dyne… and still was. The moment she had seen him walking into the tiny diner her family owned she had known that she would marry him.

She had taken his order and slipped him her phone number to him while writing the check, hoping that her courageous act wouldn't ruin her reputation as a good girl. But even if it would have, she had been ready for it. She had been in love from the first sight, desperately. And to her surprise he had called her the same night, asking her out. Ever since theywere alwaysseen together, whenever holding hands or driving around for fun or dining together at some fast food restaurant.

Her parents had spied on her to see who and how much she met him. When they found out they had been enraged, they had threatened to throw her to the street, threatened to deny her, tried to ground her. Still they hadn't been able to keep her away from him.

Dyne had been afraid that she might get killed because he had many enemies who wouldn't have hesitated to kill her just to hurt him. He had told her that he wanted her to be safe and that she was better off with another man, someone who didn't have a bad reputation like his, someone who truly deserved her.

She had never given up. No matter how much Dyne had tried to break up with her, how much her parents had tried to keep her away from him, she had always found a way to see him and be with him. In the end they had booked a flight out of Australia to start a new life together somewhere else. They had settled down to the quiet neighbourhood where they had got their so-

„Anina! Anina!" Dyne ran down the stairs, waking her up from her thoughts. A sudden gush of adrenalin flowed through her body as she got ready to hear the news he was going to tell her, judging from the tone of his voice something was very wrong. „Vyse's not in his room!"

Anina's eyes widened. „Oh, shit!"

„We have to go the precinct!" Dyne declared, glancing at her worriedly, hoping that she was all right. Hewouldn't know what to do if she broke now.

She had somehow been expecting something like this to happen, the shock wasn't half as bad as he had expected it to be. She grabbed her husband's arm, looking into his eyes defiantly: „No, darlin'! If we fill a missing person's report they'll go after him and arrest his charlie! Ya'll only make things worse!"

„No! This is the right thing! I'm bringing our son back _home_!" He answered, shaking her off.

„Ya can't do that, hon! He'll hate ya twice as much as now if ya take his charlie away from him!"

„No! Maybe then he'll _come to his senses_!" Dyne put his coat on and left the house, the door making a loud bang as he left.

Anina fell on her knees on the floor, sobbing. She had lost her son, lost her because of her husband who hadn't understood him and even worse, he was just going to make it all harder for Vyse, only making him run away more. If he just understood, realised, put himself in his position... maybe then he would accept him instead of hunting him like he was an animal.

„Come to yer senses, hon", she whispered through the tears. „Don't take me son away from me..."

At the hospital a man walked down the corridor, his confident steps echoing on the plastic floor. His silvery bangs fell to his face at times to cover his view. With one slender hand he brushed them away, only to see them fall on his view again. Growing tired of needing to brush them away constantly he finally took scissor from one of the tables in the corridor and cut his bangs shorter. Satisfied with that he continued towards the room 712 again.

Some of the doctors looked at him with a smile as they passed him, pissing him off. It annoyed him that he seemed so young. He was twenty-six and still people were treating him like he was only fifteen because of his childish features, his milky white, fragile skin and his height. His height annoyed him the most. He was shorter than anyone, mostly because he had started smoking at an early age and it had made his growth stop. Now, many years after he regretted ever touching those filthy cancer sticks, it was their fault that he was practically a midget. Everything was too high for him; even the mirrors in the public bathrooms were so high that he had to jump in order to see his whole face.

After a while of searching he found the room 712, opening the door slowly. He hadn't wanted to come, he didn't really care to meet his new partners, but Boss had told him to go look for them. He had been worried after the two hadn't shown up at work and he had wanted Chill to make sure that nothing bad had happened.

He saw the two sitting on the chair in the corner in complete silence, talking was probably useless. He knocked against the door sharply three times to get their attention, trying to look as casual as possible. Hopefully they wouldn't make fun of his height, and if they were going to he would show them that he didn't need height to be smarter than anyone in the S.F.B.I. Up theirs for all he cared.

Roy glanced up at the person at the door, frowning. Why was some teenager coming to their room? What did he want with them? The redhead had never met him before, he was sure that he would've remembered someone who looked so... different. He had short silvery hair, unevenly cut in layers, half trying to hide his milky white skin but actually only adding contrast to it. His eyes were icy blue, almost white. Their gaze made the chills run up and down Roy's spine, but he hid it pretty well.

„Boss sent me to see you", the boy said. „You didn't come to work yesterday."

Roy turned to look at him, taken aback by his unnatural whiteness. „We were worried about this child."

„It's no excuse to take a day off." Chill looked at his watch. It was almost half past five in the morning. He couldn't believe he was doing this because Boss had called him in the middle of the night, not having been able to get sleep because two of his employers were missing.

„Who are _you_ to tell us that?" Roy asked, his temper rising.

The man frowned upon that, but smiled then. His smile looked very controlled, as if it wasn't even real. „Yes, we haven't even met. I'm Chill, assigned to work with you." He looked at Link as he spoke. Somehow he could feel attracted to the blonde, the pleasant feeling of crush running through him. Maybe it wasn't so bad to be at the hospital after all. Well, at least if the redhead had just got lost or disappeared.

Link and Roy glanced at each other quickly, the redhead could remember talking about Chill with some girl a while ago when they had worked on the Bruyere case, but he hadn't expected him to be anything like this. He had expected him to be even a little taller; the boy at the door was hardly taller than Young Link.

„It-it's a pleasure." Roy got up from Link's lap and shook hands with him. Chill only snorted, looking at him judgingly.

„As well", he answered as he shook hands with Link. Roy couldn't help a weird feeling, something he had experienced only once before. When Link had been with Marth. He was surprised to realise what the feeling was since it was jealousy, the feeling that could turn happiness into bitterness, love into hate. It couldn't be that Chill was making him jealous!

Chill turned around to leave the room as he spoke, not wanting to spend another moment with the redhead anymore: „I expect you to come to work with me." He stopped at the door with a smile on his lips, glancing back at Roy: „Well, maybe _you_ can take a day off."

Roy looked after him with a surprised look. The boy had just implied that he wanted to be alone with Link, his Link. He glanced at the elf to see if he was as insulted, but Link hadn't understood the final line. He was just smiling:

„How thoughtful to let you stay here", he said gently. Chill was picking him up at an odd time, but if it were Boss's wish then he wouldn't say anything. Boss had his reasons; his orders were to be followed.

„Wouldn't it be more thoughtful to let you stay here instead of me?" Roy asked, trying to imply. He felt too embarrassed to tell Link that he was actually jealous of Chill and didn't want him to spend any time with him. Besides, it was none of his business who Link was with now that they were nothing but friends. Link would've probably just told him to stop imagining things or implied something that would've made him blush, still not understanding his point.

Link smiled sadly. „Maybe he's just worried that I'll fall into despair if I stay here forever."

„B-but seriously... I can go." Roy tried. He was worried. He didn't want to lose Link although he had broken up with him. He was still his in some way, and he didn't want him to move on and find someone else to love. He knew it was a stupid thought, but it was a thought of love. He still loved Link, no matter where he would go and whom he would marry; that was why he was so jealous. And so crushed, realising that there was nothing he could do.

„No, it's alright. Call me if anything, however insignificant, happens." The elf said as he left, trying to smile. Roy tried to protest once more, but the elf was already long gone when he came up with something. The room had lost its life, the sadness of being alone with the pain falling over it again like a heavy curtain. Roy sighed as he glanced at the sleeping Young Link, wanting to shake him until he woke up just to call Link right away and tell him to come back, run as fast as he could.

But Young Link wouldn't wake up like that. He knew that there was nothing he could do.

Roan was more than surprised to see his mother with a knife in the hospital, but he managed to pull himself together in a remotely short time. Maybe he did it for himself, maybe for their broken family, maybe for some divine reason he would never learn, buthe had recoveredfasterthan anychild his age.He put the coffees on the nearest table to accompany a lonely old man, who looked at him in a surprised way.

„Mother!" He shouted again.

Her eyes lit up, a smile of pure happiness curving on her lips. She ran to him, but avoided touching him as she spoke cheerfully: „Oh, sweet darling! Roan, how've you been?"

„Mother! What are you doing here? You're all bloody!" Roan asked, worry shining in his eyes. He tried to touch the hand that held the knife, but she took a step back, fear flashing in her eyes.

„I've got to kill someone. I've got to kill her for _happiness_." She whispered happily, trying to give reasons for her actions.

„You can't kill anyone!" Roan took a firm hold of her hand.

She jerked away, slapping him quickly. In a second she realised what she had done, apologising quietly. „Darling, I'm sorry, dear..." She looked at him with worried eyes, trying to see if everything was all right.

„Mother! You can't kill anyone! You can't! You'll just stay in the mental ward longer and dad will go crazy as well! You can't abandon us!" The boy shouted, feeling the tears blocking his throat. He knew his mother wasn't completely sane, but he loved her and he wanted them to be a whole family again. He didn't want to go home from school just to find his father sitting in front of the television eating chips and watching cartoons all day, trying to search for an escape from life without his beloved wife. He didn't want to go home to see that the only one there who was still alive was him, his father was not there, not as himself.

Natasha's eyes softened. „Roan", she said tenderly, brushing a few hairs behind her ear. „Mommy loves you."

Before Roan got to answer, she began walking away, her hand clenching the knife tightly.

„No!" He shouted after her, scaring a few patients reading their magazines. "If you loved us you wouldn't kill anyone!"

She stopped, turning to look at him: „…Then what should I do, dear?" She asked softly, smiling.

„Go back to the institution!" Roan commanded. "A-and when you get free, make us a whole family again!"

She looked at her son for a while with her smile melting away and turning into sadness in her eyes, obviously thinking. Maybe she didn't know what it was at their home when she wasn't there anymore, but her son's serious way of confronting her had amazed her. Not often she had listened to her son speak like an adult; speak like a grown man he clearly wasn't yet. Speaking about their family, about the place that should've given him comfort and safety at all times, no matter what, but their house hadn't been like one, not even when she had been home.

Their home hadn't been a home. It had only been a house inhabited by three people.

She dropped the knife she was holding, with a metallic clank it fell on the floor and clattered a little. Slowly she turned around and walked away, dragging her foot behind her.

Roan looked after her with tears in his eyes, heaving a heavy sigh. He picked the knife from the floor and threw it quickly into a trashcan before taking the coffees from the table and leaving. All the way back to the room 712 he hoped that his mother hadn't done anything stupid.

Without even knowing it, he had just saved Peach's life.

And she would never thank him.

**Kumo o Tsukamu Yoo Part 05: The Right Kind Of Wrong**

Okay. That's it.

Thank you for reading once again, you know I love your reviews!

startssinging Baby Got Back-


	36. Restless Part 01 Out of Sight, Out of Mi...

**10 - The countdown starts...**

Time for a new episode! And as you can see, the countdown has _finally _started.

This time we have a murderer on the loose! Um, just if you like, I will leave the mysteries unsolved in every part so that you can guess the answer as well. I'd be delighted to hear if I managed to make good mysteries!

Also, for news and information about my stories, please visit my web page! The things I write there will not be repeated here, so in case you're interested, you'll find the link to my web page from my profile.

**EPISODE 08: Restlessness Part 01** **Out of Sight, Out of Mind?**

Link followed Chill into the office, having a weird feeling that the boy who was claiming to be their new partner wasn't actually any older than fifteen. However, when Chill stopped at the door to glance back at him to see if he was coming, he saw from his eyes that he couldn't be fifteen. In those eyes was something he couldn't explain, but it definitely didn't belong to a teenager.

He walked past Chill into the office, the boy following close behind and shutting the door. He walked to the desk and sat down on one of the chairs, lifting his boots on the table just like he did with Roy. How would Chill be any different?

Chill sat down on the chair opposite his, looking directly into his eyes. They looked at each other for a while before the boy said: "Do you have any idea why I'm working with the two... _you_?"

"To be honest, no." Link answered, just a few seconds before Chill's eyes had been icy, their gaze piercing through his skin, but now his eyes were kind... or as kind as they could be. He could feel a wave of memories run through him; Chillw as sitting on the same chair as Roy had sat on when they had first met, he had almost the same expression on his face as well.

Chill smiled. "It's because you don't think. You only investigate. I'm here to _think_."

"Roy usually does the thinking here..." Link said absent-mindedly.

"Well, _that _explains why Boss hired me." Chill snorted, still smiling. He hadn't wanted Link to remember the redhead; he wanted to ditch him because he was useless. Anyone could deduce what someone was thinking about. Psychologists were just a bunch of swindlers like fortune-tellers, they trusted that people were taken in by their fancy terms and complicated methods, stealing their money in the process.

That wasn't even the part he disliked most in Roy. He didn't even know the redhead, but he had seen that the two of them were very close. If he ever wanted to get close to Link, he would need to be with him more than Roy. He knew that wouldn't be a problem as long as the child was in the hospital, but after he would get home he would need to come up with some other plan. If necessary.

"So, tell me about yourself." Chill said with a smile.

Link glanced at his legs quickly; a suspicious thought running through his head but he dismissed it quickly. The memory of Roy coming to his office for the first time was messing with his mind; otherwise he knew he wouldn't be feeling the way he was. "Uhh… I'm a crime scene investigator, I gradu-"

"Mm-hm." Chill cut him off; he already knew that, it was a waste of time repeating it. "Where do you like to go to?"

"Huh?" Link was taken aback by the sudden question.

Chill leaned forward a bit, leaning his head and flashing a smile. "Something more personal, Link. That's what I'd like to know."

"You do know we're here to work, right?" The elf asked, a little confused with what was going on. He didn't quite understand Chill. At least not yet.

"Does that mean no office romances?" The boy questioned jeeringly.

"No… but…" The elf finally started to realise what the boy was after. He was being pretty direct of it anyway, why hadn't he noticed it before? The boy's eyes were fixed on his, and somehow their gaze began to feel nice. It wasn't scary anymore now that Link knew what the boy wanted. That gaze that seemed so cold and full of hatred was actually nice and caring. He was so confused. He couldn't understand why he was feeling what he was; he had no idea how to act.

"Well, then, what's holding you back?" The silver-haired boy queried.

"Is this why you called me here?" He asked, dodging the question yet again.

"No, but I'd like to get to know you better. " The boy admitted with a fond smile as he looked at his feet. "How about something like… dinner?"

"Well, sure…" Link said, a little astonished by the way Chill came onto him. It was something completely different he had ever experienced before and it made him feel… adored. Wanted. Something Roy had never made him feel.

He could feel his ego boosting up, becoming stronger and more confident. With Roy he had never heard any kinds of compliments or love confessions, only stuttering or blushing. He had never before even thought about it, but now that Chill was asking him out in such a straightforward way, he understood that he had only been waiting for Roy's confessions. And what had he got? ...He had waited in vain.

He quickly dismissed all of those thoughts, glancing at his watch. It was only 7:22. No wonder his thoughts were running in such a strange way. "What should we do?"

"Ah, yes." Chill got up ad fetched a pile of files from one of the drawers, jumping a little to reach. "…I have been troubled by this case for a while now. I don't think you're aware of this, but a lot of very crude murders have happened here in just a few months."

Link looked at him with a puzzled expression for a while. "Why hasn't it been on the news?"

"The S.F.B.I. wishes to keep it a secret from the masses to avoid panic." Chill said. "As you can agree, we don't want any of that."

"Of course not." Link agreed, nodding.

„This is a very troublesome case, because the murderer leaves clues behind. The victims aren't connected in any way. With every new victim we have found a new clue to when and where the next murder will be. So far I haven't been able to figure the-" He was cut off by the phone as it rang. Chill picked up the receiver, looking at Link as he said his name.

Through the brief phone call, Link watched his new friend. Chill reached barely his chest, but he didn't seem unfriendly at all. Maybe he was a bit strange, hard to be with before one got to know him, but Link was positive that under his icy-looking shell he was a very nice person. And he was also pretty sure that he wasn't thinking that only because Chill was coming onto him in such a wonderful manner.

"24th Avenue, one victim." Chill said as put the receiver down, waking him up from his thoughts.

Link got up to start going, saying: "We need to drive by the hospital to take Roy with us."

"Isn't it more important that he stays with the child?" Chill asked casually.

Link sighed as he put his jacket on. "Yeah, I guess so."

"I _know _so." Chill said, sailing into the corridor past him.

As they got to the murder scene, there were tons of officers investigating already. They were buzzing all around the body, making it hard for the two of them to get anywhere near it. A few ambulances had arrived as well, their blue lights flashing to inform danger to the pedestrians on the busy street.

"Has the victim been identified yet?" Link asked as the walked towards the swarm of officers. The blood from the victim had sprayed far, making the street look very gruesome.

"No and I doubt he ever will be." Chill answered, his icy gaze focused on the statue of a rider behind the victim.

Link looked at him, surprised: „Why?"

„Because there's no head."

Link nodded slowly, feeling a gush of disgust tangling his guts. „Oh..."

Chill glanced at him quickly, a devilish smile tugging at his lips. „Disgusted?"

The elf didn't get to answer as he saw a familiar brunette walking on the other side of the road. A quick thought ran through his head; now would be his chance to talk with Vyse! Now he could talk to him alone without Marth hearing! He didn't want to talk to the brunette about what he had seen in front of Marth because the noble might get mad at him for accusing his boyfriend for something as unbelievable as that.

The elf hurried across the street, avoiding the cars honking at him. For a passing moment he knew how it felt like to be the deer in the headlights just seconds before the crash, the bright lights and the long honking rose his adrenaline even though he knew he was rational enough not to run under a car. The thought brought Young Link back to his mind, the peaceful, pale face against the whiteness of the sheets, sleeping calmly. Panic tried to take him over, but he fought it.

„Vyse!" Link shouted as he finally got to the other side of the street, the memory of Young Link's face still flashing before him.

The teenager's walking slowed down as he looked around upon hearing his name. He didn't see anyone who would be calling for him so he sped up again, wondering if he had only heard voices from his head.

„Vyse!" This time Vyse stopped, looking around again. That was when he saw Link running to him and couldn't help feeling a little curious about his business since he had never thought Marth's friends would want to become friends with him because he was so much younger than them. He smiled as Link reached him, subconsciously noting that his white button-down shirt hadn't been ironed.

„'Ello!" The brunette greeted with a confident smile.

Link only nodded to him with a smile as he caught his breath. "Vyse…"

„Yeah?" Vyse asked, feeling a tiny knot in his stomach. He didn't like the expression on Link's face; it was too solemn for their meeting to be a happy coincidence. This was something serious, maybe it was about the child that had been taken to the hospital or maybe something... had happened to Marth? The thought alone made his eyes widen and he gasped sharply before realising that he was only assuming, he could be completely wrong as well.

Link had seen his reaction from the corner of his eye, knowing that he had caught the boy. Vyse had probably thought that as long as he could avoid Marth's friends no one would find out that Peach was paying him to be with Marth and play with him, but he had been wrong, oh, so _very _wrong.

„Vyse... You need to stop playing before it's too late." Link said when he could breath normally again. He would've wanted to say something like_ ‚I want you to know that Marth's love can be bought only until a certain extent',_ but that wouldn't lead anywhere. He didn't know Vyse so he acted like he acted with Roy; extremely carefully not to aggravate him.

„W-what?" Vyse asked, his eyes wide. He had absolutely no idea what the elf was talking about. He wasn't into sports in any way, what game would he need to stop playing?

„I saw you with Peach, accepting money from her." The elf said calmly. „I care about Marth and I don't want you to play with him just because that bitch is paying you."

„Oh me God..." Vyse said, scratching the back of his head. He was desperately trying to come up with a simple explanation that wouldn't ruin his face in front of Marth's friends. He didn't want to say that he had cheated the money from Peach because they had had a deal and he had failed it. That wouldn't make him sound like a good lover. „Hey, look! Ya got it all wrong!" He said quickly to buy more time.

Link sighed. He knew Chill was waiting for him but he had waited for a moment alone with Vyse so long and he was not going to let this drop. Marth had done him a favour when he had let him go and now was his chance the return the favour by freeing him before Vyse would break his heart. „How come this doesn't always come up when you confront someone about something?"

„No, really! Listen to me!" Vyse said, buying even more time. But no matter how much he thought, he couldn't come up with a better explanation that the truth. He looked around, pained, wondering what kind of a twisted image Link would get of him then.

„Fine. Talk." The elf said solemnly, crossing his hands on his chest and tapping the ground with his foot. The other pedestrians dodged them rather well, at times maybe an elbow or a bag hitting them softly on the side, followed with a quick ‚I'm sorry.' No one cared about them, they were just talking to each other on a sunny day, Vyse knew he couldn't even escape. Not from an S.F.B.I. agent.

He sighed heavily as he began his story: „At first... A friend of mine, Jake... he knows Peach from somewhere, told me that she needed someone who could be trusted. Jake told me she'd give me 200 dollars if I did something for her. Who wouldn't accept a simple job for 200 dollars, eh?" Vyse laughed nervously, feeling highly uncomfortable under Link's accusing glare. „Ehh... So I went down to her place and she showed me this picture of the three of ya that was all smudged and all, telling me to seduce the one in the middle. Then she just called me one night and told me where ya guys are and I came... But at first I was supposed to seduce you!" Vyse finished, pointing at the elf, his eyes wandering everywhere without ever meeting with the Hylian's eyes.

It was Link's turn to be surprised. And oppressed._ „Me?"_

Vyse smiled sheepishly as he continued, drawing a circle to the ground with his shoe. „At that time I had no idea it was you... I thought it was Marth since I saw Roy with him first, but when Marth told me about Roy getting married and leaving the one he loves I realised I should've seduced ya! But... I didn't want to go away from him anymore! I thought that it wouldn't matter, ya charlies could continue yer little affair and I could have the gorgeous charlie! No one got hurt!" Vyse found himself trying to explain his actions and quit before he would start sounding stupid. He had already risen his voice towards the end of his story, which hadn't been a good thing, at least not if he judged from the looks the passer-bys gave him.

Link thought for a while after the brunette had finished. „...And Peach's plan failed."

„Yeah! I'm not guilty at all!" Vyse threw his hands in the air in frustration, trying to laugh as if everything was all right.

„Thanks to Marth you failed." The elf said, still not smiling. He was thinking about what the brunette had told him, and it did make sense... although it sounded so unnatural and forced. After all Peach didn't have a motive to ask someone to seduce Marth, but if someone had seduced him it would have been sure Roy wouldn't have wanted to see him ever again.

Vyse didn't know what he would do if Link forced him to stay away from Marth. He had just got him back; he didn't want to lose him again, not now, not ever. He was ready to fight for his love, especially after telling the Hylian the embarrassing truth. „Yeah, and I love him! I really do! I'd do anything to keep him!"

„...Tell him." The elf said by length. „Lovers can't have secrets." He added, letting his gaze travel on the people's backs that passed them.

„W-what?" Vyse took a step back as if he was getting ready to run away. „Ya can't be serious! Marth would dump me right away if I told him!"

„Either you tell him or I tell him. Which one do you think is worse?" The Hylian asked rhetorically. If Vyse would tell the noble he would truly love him and Marth could make his decision if he wanted to love him. Link knew he was being a little harsh, but it was for Marth's best; this way he would know what he was dealing with.

The brunette looked at him with a scared gaze, afraid that he would lose Marth if he said the wrong thing now. „...Fine, I'll tell him." He turned his gaze to the ground, sighing heavily.

„Now." The elf continued strictly, as if he was commanding Young Link.

„W-whaat?" Vyse asked, his eyes widening yet again. He couldn't believe that Marth's friends were this motivated to keep him happy. But while it annoyed him, it also made him feel happy. Not many had friends like Marth's.

Link pointed at the brunette's school bag as he said calmly: „Take your phone and call him right now."

„No way!" Vyse took a hold of his bag as if he was trying to protect it from the elf. „At least I want to see him eye-to-eye when he dumps me!"

„Fine, do it your way." The Hylian said carelessly with a soft smile. As he started towards the murder scene where Chill was, he said over his shoulder absent-mindedly: „But tomorrow he will know. Or I will tell him."

After that Link returned to Chill, who was easily lost in the mass of officers. Every time he caught a glimpse of him, mostly his silvery hair, he lost it again because it was impossible to see him when he didn't reach anyone over his or her chest.

„Chill!" He called as he saw him stand still for a while. The silver-topped boy turned to look at him, flashing a smug smile as if he had known Link wouldn't be able to stay away from him. As Chill walked towards him he dug up a soft pack of cigarettes, Marlboro reds. Quickly he picked one out of the pack and placed it reflexively into the corner of his mouth, reaching for a lighter from his pocket.

He had already reached Link when he found the lighter and used his other hand as a shelter of the wind as he lit the cigarette. In a second a thin line of smoke began trailing towards the sky from his cigarette before he inhaled the smoke as he put the lighter away with a smoky sigh.

„The victim is a male, approximately 34 years old, he was decapitated during his lunch." Chill said calmly, looking at the mass of officers. At times they saw a glimpse of the bloody, headless body leaning against a statue of a rider.

„How do you know he was lunching?" Link asked, mostly to start a conversation.

„If you went to have a better look you'd see all the sandwiches lying around him." The boy answered with a smile, exhaling a cloud of smoke.

Link chuckled, not really finding the joke funny. At least not when they were still in the murder scene and the body could be seen in all its glorious grossness. „What was the clue in this one?"

„'_The rider comes from the forest with a thirst of blood when the sun burns most.'"_ Chill answered monotonically. „Now that we see the victim it's easy to figure it out. The Pyri Park looks a lot like a forest and this statue's rider is coming out of there with a spear in his hand."

Link nodded in agreement. He knew already that he didn't like the case and he was feeling a bit uneasy with Chill's unconcerned attitude. It didn't seem like seeing a decapitated body and la lot of blood made him even crack a grimace.

„...Was there a new clue?" Link asked to continue the conversation. Strangely he had noticed that Chill didn't feel uncomfortable with silence. He could be quiet for a long time, just listening to others, judging them with his icy eyes. Everyone seemed to fear him, but also admire. He was nice when he wanted to, only when people were looking down at him or he had decided that he wouldn't like them he would act rudely.

„Yes." Chill said calmly. „Maybe we should discuss about it during dinner? The day after tomorrow?"

Link looked at him, slightly surprised. He had half thought that the whole thing had been a joke, but it really seemed that Chill was serious. And Link knew that if he wanted to know more about the case he could either tell Chill to tell him now and aggravate him (something he didn't really want to do) or go and have a nice dinner with him.

After a few days in the hospital Roy had an orange shirt to go with his dark blue jeans, he hadn't been able to find almost any of his clothes. Moving to Peach's apartment was a real pain to him, but he was happy that Marth and Vyse could have the apartment all to themselves now. He wouldn't need to worry about hearing them doing the nasty anymore.

So much had happened in just a few days. He had settled down with Peach pretty well, they were planning moving away quietly without anyone knowing. Roy definitely didn't want Link to know about his plans to run away from him. He would get really mad, try to talk him out of it yet again and they would have another fight over the child. It was useless telling Link about his plans from now on, he was only hurting him by telling him what he was planning to do.

They had had a few problems with Peach's broken leg, especially with her attitude. Ever since she had got out of the hospital she had commanded him like a slave. At first it had annoyed the hell out of him, but in fear of losing his child he had adapted. But adapting to her orders hadn't been easy and it had gnawed away some of his pride, almost driving him crazy. She could wake him up at night, wishing for steaks or French fries, explaining that it was a part of her pregnancy and that he was there to help – meaning that he would need to get up in the middle of the night and go get her some food.

They had also sent all the wedding invitations, when writing them Roy had had an odd feeling that he had actually been writing his will. Those thoughts had disturbed him a lot, but talking with Marth had helped. The noble had only listened to his worries without even frowning, wearing that calm and collected mask on his face. He had never said anything about his choices, just listened without judging. It was relieving to talk to someone who wouldn't judge him for anything he had done. In the end he had said that if Marth had anything to say, he should say it then, but the noble had only smiled encouragingly.

That had given him strength. Although he was sad that he could no longer feel Link near him, he tried to forget him in every possible way. Boss had let him have days off work because of Young Link, but he still couldn't understand why Boss wouldn't let Link stay in the hospital instead of him? Had Chill spoken with him, persuaded him that Link was more valuable at work than him? Whatever it was, Young Link's peaceful face reminded him constantly of it.

He walked to the window, looking outside at the city. From up there, from the twelfth floor, he saw wide and far over the city that was humming and buzzing in the rays of the sun. In the distance the countryside started gradually, the wide wheat fields spreading to the horizon where earth and sky joined. The sounds of the lively traffic seemed distant, the cerulean blueness calmed him in a way he couldn't describe.

He turned around to see the door as it opened slowly, hoping that Link would come, but of course, it was still only early afternoon. Roan walked into the room with a smile, greeting him a bit shyly. He went through the smalltalk with him, the ‚how are you's and ‚it's a lovely day's but other than that they didn't speak much.

In the evening Link drove to the address Chill had given him. He hadn't known how to dress for their dinner, but had figured that casual clothing would be just fine. The silver-haired boy would probably only make fun of him if he appeared to his door wearing a tuxedo. To his surprise the boy didn't live in a gorgeous mansion at the outskirts of the city but in a normal apartment building near downtown.

At the door he hesitated. Maybe he was in the wrong place. That apartment building was rather dirty, the corridors were narrow and judging by the length of them the apartments couldn'thave beenbig. He had been sure that someone with a mind like Chill's one would easily get enough money to buy a fancy villa on the countryside… but then again, he couldn't be sure he was in the wrong place before he tried the doorbell.

„Let's not go out for dinner." Chill gave him a smile as he opened the door, wearing a black pullover with light blue jeans. Link looked into his tiny apartment consisting of two rooms and a very tiny kitchen. „Here's much cosier."

„Okay", Link said as he stepped inside. „Wow, this place is tiny."

„No height-jokes, please." Chill said coldly, shuffling to the kitchen. His tone of voice was immediately softer as he continued: „I made lasagne, pretty much all I can do without a recipe."

„ Oh... I wasn't making fun of your height", Link explained quickly, feeling a little embarrassed for saying something like that. „I just... it's been a while since I've been in an apartment as small as this."

„I don't need a bigger one." Chill smiled as he came from the kitchen, clapping his hands together slightly as if to make the dirt fall off of them. „Say, is the child in the hospital yours?"

„Yeah." Link said, looking at his feet. He had gone to see Young Link right after work, but had had to leave pretty quickly. He felt a little guilty for that, but his job was his job and he needed to get it done. Roy and Roan could watch after Young Link until he came home.

Chill smiled encouragingly, something that wouldn't have suited his features at all. Link hadn't even been sure if he could make a face like that, but there it had been –and it had comforted him a bit too- making him feel the same, strangely soft feeling inside he felt with Roy. But why with Chill?

„Why are you so troubled?" The boy asked as suddenly, making him flinch.

Link's eyes widened. Was he really that easy to read? „I don't know... With you... I... feel odd."

„Yay." Chill said sarcastically as he returned to the kitchen. That moment Link found another strangely similar feature between Roy and Chill. They both got mad pretty easily. They just expressed it a bit differently. Where Roy shouted and moped, Chill glared or answered sarcastically. Link found the two of them strangely familiar to each other although in a completely different way. That was why he was so fond of Chill. He was almost like Roy and his heart was desperate to love just about anyone to forget the redhead.

Link looked at his feet, wanting to smash his head against the wall. He hadn't meant to say ‚odd' although it had been the word describing his feelings... Somehow it had just slipped. He followed the boy to the kitchen with a troubled expression: „I... didn't mean it like that... It's just that... it's been a while..." He fell quiet, deciding that it would be better to be collected in one piece before saying anything. „I... feel the same feeling with you as I felt with my ex-boyfriend."

„Hate and grudge?" Chill asked. Although he sounded serious, Link could see that he was actually joking. But it was pretty hard to tell.

Link laughed, just to be sure. „No, I meant that nice feeling..."

„Of falling in love?" Chill asked. „So do I." He continued without waiting for an answer.

Link just looked at him. He wasn't able to answer that yet... because he had no idea. In a way Chill was right, he was falling in love, but he couldn't understand why and how it was even possible. He had always thought that elves could fall in love only once. Was this just some reaction to Roy rejecting him so much? He was so confused; he hadn't expected it that quickly, not that directly. He had expected Chill to blush and squirm a little in front of him, but then again, Chill wasn't Roy.

„_13. A wice old owl laived in an oak, _

_the amoore he saw the less he spocce, _

_tje less he spoke the moare he heard. _

_Why acan't we all be like trat wise old bird?"_ Chill said suddenly, facing away from him as he took a glass of water, offering him one too.

Link looked at him, raising his eyebrows as he accepted the glass. He thought he knew Chill well enough to know that he didn't have any kind of schizophrenic seizures.

Chill noticed his reaction and smiled as he wrote it down. „The new riddle. Help me solve it."

**EPISODE 08: Restlessness Part 01** **Out of Sight, Out of Mind?**

I'll cut it here. Any ideas?

Oh well. Thanks for reading; if you have time, please visit my web page!


	37. Restless Part 02 Eyeless Eyes

**-9-**

Sorry for not updating. But… I finally got Resident Evil 4! It's so GOOOOOOD! –goes crazy- The atmosphere's so perfect and the villagers and the scenery and the guns and everything is PERFECT! And then Leon is so great (and good-looking, too bad they haven't created his butt well so I'd have something to look at) and the evil guy is so scary and the plot is so exciting and-

Chainsawer: Scompara! –starts the chainsaw-

Oh, yes. I almost forgot. I decided to adopt a villager from Pueblo. He likes to kill people with a chainsaw, hence the name. And he's so coo-

Keeper: Tasty.

No… he's not for food. Oh, and I updated my profile. Don't ask where I got the idea…

**EPISODE 08: Restlessness Part 02 Eyeless Eyes**

**---**

It was a late afternoon, the sun shone just barely above the houses' roofs. Marth drove to the parking slot in the yard of their apartment building, killing the engine. He hadn't wanted to kill it yet because he had loved the song on the radio, but he loved being Vyse more than any song.

With long leaps he climbed the stairs, humming the song that had been on the radio. He didn't usually like soft ballads like it had been, but somehow that day he was more sensitive. Of course, it could be because he had visited Young Link right after work and seeing him on the bed, lifeless as ever, had made him feel so vulnerable. He had never thought that something could happen to youngsters; their lives had just begun, they couldn't end when they hadn't even seen puberty yet.

Marth sighed, deep in thought, as he opened the door to his and Roy's apartment, the scent of good food spilling onto his face. Someone was making a chicken dish, maybe something Mediterranean. The scent of the good food dispelled the vulnerability from his mind, pushing the image of motionless Young Link somewhere to the back of his mind. He had never thought Vyse could make food, even less something that smelled so good. He wanted to run in and gobble up everything in a second, but decided not to.

As he took off his jacket he saw how Vyse had lied the table, even lit some candles to give the room a romantic atmosphere. It seemed a bit strange, since they had never had a romantic dinner before and hadn't felt like they missed out on something, they weren't dating after all. Maybe Vyse had wanted to do something about that, wanted to feel what it felt like to have a candlelight dinner. The brunette himself was in the kitchen, silently humming some song Marth didn't know. He quietly tiptoed behind him and grabbed him into his arms.

Vyse gasped, but laughed as he recovered from the tiny shock. "It's still early, I didn't know--"

"I wanted to come home early because of you." Marth said as he kissed the boy. "And I'm impressed. I thought you didn't know how to cook."

"Well, this is something me mom does often and I've learned it from her, even without wanting to." Vyse explained, answering his kisses.

"How was your day?" Marth asked as he gently bit his ear.

Vyse smiled. "Boring. School's always boring. What about yer day?"

"We investigated a bank robbery on 37th street but didn't get to arrest anyone yet." The noble said.

"What about the injured boy?" The brunette asked, he had been thinking about it at times when he had been alone.

"Oh, Young Link?" Marth looked at him in the eyes. "He hasn't awakened yet."

"That's sad." Vyse replied, hugging the man he loved very tight. He really hoped he could stay with Marth forever, even after what he had to tell him… He was hoping that good food and company would soften the noble enough to forgive him for working for Peach. He had no idea how Link knew Peach, but he had seemed to hate her very much. Maybe she was his ex and he was bitter or something…?

The tiny clock rang, indicating that the chicken in the oven was ready. Vyse invited Marth to sit down while he took it out of the oven and carried it to the table. He smiled instinctively just like his mother, as he said:

"Mediterranean chicken with olives."

The noble smiled to him in return. "Smells good."

They ate in the candlelight, the romantic atmosphere catching on Marth, but Vyse didn't seem to relax at all. He tried to say about it a few times, but the brunette only smiled, saying that he wasn't such a romantic person. Although the noble wanted to believe him, he couldn't. Something else was wrong. Something had happened, maybe at school or somewhere else that had made the brunette jumpy.

Vyse knew he wasn't one of the best actors there was, but he did his best to hide the panic swelling in his stomach. He was absolutely terrified. He was so sure that Marth wouldn't want to see him again after he told him why he had met him in the first place. But he also knew that if he wouldn't tell Marth then, Link would do it and that would make everything twice as bad. He would lose the noble's trust, love, touches, maybe Marth would even start to hate him.

He took a deep breath, trying to form a sensible sentence of what had happened, but his thoughts were running too fast. It seemed as if they tried to cram everything that had happened into one sentence so that he could say it in one breath. He accidentally dropped his fork, flinching as it clattered on his plate. He saw Marth frown upon that and tried to overlook it with a laugh. It didn't work. He knew that because Marth cupped his cheek with a questioning look on his face: "What's wrong?"

Vyse leaned his head on his hand, closing his eyes and heaving a heavy, desperate sigh. "Marth…"

"Yes?" The noble asked almost immediately.

"I have to tell you something." Vyse avoided eye contact, his eyes fixing on Marth's glass of red wine, his panicking mind making him think of it as his blood after he had told the noble.

"That's why you made food and everything?" The noble asked. "You shouldn't have." Although he acted calmly and cheerfully, inside he was horrified by what the brunette had just said.

_"I have to tell you something."_

He was absolutely terrified. It could never be good when someone had to tell him something. But he wanted to keep his mask on so that it would be easier for Vyse to tell him. He would hold himself together, no matter what.

"I…" Vyse started but didn't finish. Instead he sobbed and hid his face into his hands. "Please… Just listen…"  
Marth wanted to say something, but decided to stay quiet. Whatever it was it hurt Vyse as well.

"Marth… when we… when we met…" Vyse said, wiping his eyes with his napkin. "It was no coincidence…"

Marth's eyes widened. What the hell? How had Vyse got to know about him in that bar that night? It seemed almost impossible to think that it had all been planned, Vyse had been so natural, he hadn't been acting like then at all. He wanted to grab Vyse and shake the words out of him to know the truth, to make the strangling horror let go of his throat. But doing that would only scare Vyse and they wouldn't get anywhere at all. Before he got to answer, someone knocked on his door.

Vyse flinched, looking at him with his wide nougat eyes. He looked like a frightened dog when he looked at him like that, making him want to comfort him. Instead he just smiled at him encouragingly, starting towards the door. The fear was making his legs feel flabby, whoever it had been knocking on his door had the worst timing in the world. Vyse wiped his eyes dry quickly, following him and putting a hand on his shoulder as he opened the door.

On their door stood a few police officers, holding their badges in their hands. Marth frowned upon seeing them, exchanging a surprised glance with Vyse. The brunette clenched his shoulder instinctively, a bad hunch running through him.

"Umm… What is it?" The noble asked calmly, opening the door more to let them in.

"Mr… Lowell?" The oldest of the officers asked, touching his copper-coloured moustache.

"Yes, that's me." Marth said, still very sure that they were in the wrong place and he was the wrong person.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Lowell, but we have to arrest you." The officer grunted as he went though his pockets, looking for something.

"E-excuse me?" Marth's mouth fell open.

"We have to arrest you for kidnapping Vyse Miller."

The noble just stared at them, not believing his eyes or his ears. He had never thought Vyse's father would go as far as filing a missing person's report. He had been sure that Vyse's parents would've understood how strong their love was after seeing that Vyse was ready to run away from home to be with him. "I-I'm sorry, I'm not sure I heard you correctly." He said, just to be sure his mind wasn't playing tricks on him.

Before the officer got to answer, Vyse said angrily: "Well, I don't consider meself kidnapped!"

"You are underage, Mister. Your father filed a missing person's report on you and no matter what you say he'll have to come with us." The officer said, showing him the handcuffs.

Marth looked at them for a while, then at the officer. "You must be kidding. I would never run away in a situation like this."

"It's just a procedure." The officer smiled encouragingly.

As Marth offered his hands to the policeman, Vyse ran to get his jacket. "I'm going to come with ya!"

A much younger officer stopped him gently. "I'm sorry, Mister, but we will have to take you home."

"Ya can't do this! This is wrong! I don't want to go home!" Vyse struggled to get free, but the officer was a lot stronger than him. It was no use trying to get free; he would be taken home where his parents would be waiting for him. And boy, they were going to be so happy.

"Marth! I love ya!" He shouted after the noble, remembering Link's threat. "No matter what! _I love ya!_"

Meanwhile Chill took the lasagne out of the oven with a grunt; it was heavy and he needed to stand on his toes to put it on the table. Link found that quite adorable, but was too afraid to say anything because he knew Chill hated height-jokes. Being with him was rather difficult because he couldn't imagine someone so small to be so smart. He was almost like an adult in a child's body, trapped like a bird in a cage.

And it surely bothered him. Link found himself wondering if the deepest reason to Chill's coldness was actually his height, the grudge he held against the stupid him that had started smoking when he had been nothing but eleven. Back then he hadn't probably even thought about the pros (what pros?) and cons of smoking, he had just done it. But why? Link couldn't find a reason for an eleven-year-old child to start smoking. Unless…

He had wanted to die.

"Chill?" Link asked, reaching over the table to snatch the clue from Chill's hands.

"Yes?" Chill leaned his head.

"Why did you start smoking?"

The boy's eyes narrowed. "It's none of your frickin' concern."

Link held his breath. The angry Chill wasn't a pleasant sight, no matter how small he was, he managed to look extremely destructive when he was mad. "I… I just wanted to know…"

"I was stupid. Yes. I admit. Now drop it or I'll rip your head off." Chill said calmly as he put some lasagne on his plate. But from the tone of his voice Link deduced that he was serious… and somehow his subconscious believed him, believed that Chill wasn't a person to be messed with, doing that would result in very serious consequences. He didn't know why he thought that, but couldn't help it.

To get his mind off such a disturbing thought he read the clue on the paper, completely focusing on it. He had never solved clues before, it was a completely new territory for him and he was already lost. "Uhh…He can't speak English as his native language." He said the first thing popping into his mind.

"Or maybe he can…" Chill said, looking at his fork as if it was something very interesting.

"Hm?" The elf asked, the disturbing thoughts completely forgotten.

"Would you write one word differently each time you wrote it if you weren't sure about it's spelling?" The silver-topped boy asked, his icy eyes fixing on his.

Link thought for a while, wondering why the butterflies were flying so wildly in his stomach when he was under Chill's gaze. "…No, I'd stick with one spelling."

"Me too. He's written 'more' in two different ways. _Amoore_ and _moare_."

"Do you think there's a hidden message?"

"Yes..." Chill raised his eyebrows. He had told Link that the misspelled poem was a clue; it was pretty obvious it would contain a hidden message. He wanted to point his mistake out for him, but decided to let it drop as a thought ran through his head. "I'm sure I if anyone can figure this out without needing to identify with him." Chill said smugly, referring to Roy and hoping that Link would realise that.

They tried solving the clue for a time that felt like ages. Chill even tried to find some kind of a mathematical equation hidden in it, but failed. Nothing in their knowledge resembled the owl described in the poem, much less with such misspellings. Checked in candlelight, there was no message glowing in the dark. None of the first or last letters formed a word and neither did the misspelled words.

Link happened to glance at the clock when it was half past twelve, amazed by how fast time had actually flowed. When he had last checked the time it had been around 7 PM. Time had flown on wings while they had tried to solve the clue within the poem.

"It's really late… I should leave." He said quickly, feeling a little embarrassed to stay over Chill's for so long.

The boy didn't even lift his eyes from the paper, he just shrugged. "You can stay here for the night."

"But… It's really late." He tried. There was nothing wrong with staying with Chill, but somehow he felt the boy was going too fast. Way, way too fast.

"That's exactly why." Chill explained, getting up and starting to clean the table. "But if you prefer the company of drunks and muggers to mine, go ahead."

Link tried to say something but felt too embarrassed. He had just tried to go home and Chill made him feel so bad about it. "All… all right. I'll stay here for the night."

Chill washed his hands as he put the dishes into the dishwasher with a silent happy hum.

"Where do you have the blankets and pillows? I can at least make my bed." He continued the conversation. Although Chill was fine with silence, it didn't mean that he had to. He didn't know Chill well enough yet to be comfortably quiet with him.

"Where exactly do you think you can make your bed here?" Chill said, referring to the tiny size of the apartment.

"On… the couch?" Link suggested warily.

"No, not on the couch." The silver-topped boy shook his head. "My bed is much more comfortable."

Link stared at him for a while, unable to believe him. How straightforward could someone be? "Uh, right."

"Don't be afraid." Chill said calmly. "If I had wanted to have sex with you I would've already done it."

Link was shocked. Positively and negatively. Positively: because he couldn't even remember anyone coming onto him in such a wonderful way. It felt great to have someone's 100 percent attention. It was awesome to have someone who wasn't afraid of his feelings like Roy had been; it was so much easier to understand him from his body language and hints. With Roy he had never been sure how the redhead really felt because he used minimum body language and never hinted anything. Negatively he was shocked because Chill was being too straightforward. He didn't even blink as he said those things. It almost seemed like he didn't even think about it when he said them, like they were only smalltalk.

They went to sleep pretty soon after that, Link feeling a little uncomfortable, but the disturbing thoughts died as he saw Chill sleeping soundly next to him. He really hadn't tried anything. He hadn't even touched him on the bed, probably to show him that he had been serious. Or then he just didn't care about his body. The thought made sense since Chill was so small, maybe he had assumed that no one could ever want him physically and didn't even try it.

It was a bit sad, because although a midget, he was still a human. And no matter the size, every human needed the same things. Everyone needed friends, food and love, as a child hugs and kisses were enough, but after they got older, the things needed changed.

Link sighed as he turned around. It was none of his business to try to get into Chill's mind. The boy had put a barrier between them as he had said that his smoking hadn't been any of his frickin' concern, Link wouldn't push it. If Chill wanted him to know something, he would tell it himself.

In the middle of the night Chill woke up to the tune from NYPD Blue, his favourite TV-show of all time. At first he didn't know where it came from and couldn't have cared less, but when the tune persistently played, he got up and answered his cell phone.

"What the frickin' hell do you want?" He said in a drowse.

_"Good morning, Mr. Pioggia. There's been yet another murder."_

"Whoop de frickin' doo." Chill said sarcastically, he hated waking up in the middle of the night, but even more than that he hated the unconcerned tone of the speaker. He hadn't even apologised for calling him in the middle of the night.

_"Excuse me?"_

Chill slapped himself mentally as he realised who the person on the phone was. He couldn't talk to his boss like that. "…What? So soon?"

_"Yes… on 5th Avenue."_

"I'll be there in a second." Chill said as he ended the call, glancing at the clock. It was three in the morning. But he still hadn't figured out the clue… Link had distracted him so much. It wasn't honestly true, but he wanted someone to blame and Link was good for that. He looked at the sleeping elf next to him with a fond look, a soft smile on his lips before he grabbed his side and shook him harshly.

"I… I'm awake…" Link mumbled.

"We have to go. There's been another murder." He said strictly, glancing around the room to find some clothes.

"A…nother murder?" Link sat up, still in a dream.

"Yes." Chill crawled over him to the other side of the bed.

The elf turned his side, grabbing him from the waist and throwing him next to him. "…The dead won't run away."

Chill couldn't help the satisfied smile spreading on his face.1-0 to him in their battle of Link with Roy. He didn't really see it as a battle, but the thought had passed his mind in a few seconds and he hadn't bothered to correct it. Although he wanted to, sadly he couldn't stay there, lying in Link's warm hug. If they went to see the body in the morning the next murder could've already happened. He crawled over Link as he said: "You stay here then. I have to go."

"…Workaholic."

"Whatever." Chill said calmly as he put on a white jumper and the first jeans he managed to find. He rambled through the dark apartment to the door and disappeared into the corridor as fast as he could. Halfway out of the building he stopped and returned to get his jacket, knowing just how cold it was out at night.

He arrived to the scene around half past three, the place swarming with officers. Somehow he managed to get through to the victim, seeing him with a screwdriver in his head. He shook his head as he took a step closer, crouching next to the body and examining the screwdriver. It had been thrust into the man's head with tremendous strength, cracking the whole skull on the left side. Obviously the victim hadn't noticed the attacker before it was already too late, Chill deduced that from the rather calm expression frozen on his face.

In his hand was another tiny piece of paper. Chill took it, glancing around to make sure no one had seen him because he shouldn't have taken it. Violation of murder scene. Up theirs.

He walked away from the officers as he lit up a cigarette. He didn't look at the new clue; instead he took the old one out of his pocket and looked around. Was there an owl somewhere? Or what? But there was nothing there that could've had anything to do with the poem. Unless… He looked at the paper and then at the kiosk where the victim had been found.

_ICE CREAM! 13 different kinds of flavours to choose from! _

His eyes scanned the poem, picking up the letters and arranging them again.

"13. Ice cream…" He said quietly, pressing the paper in his hand as he exhaled a soft cloud of smoke. He should've been able to figure it out. He had only taken the alphabets before or after thecorrect letters in the words and arranged them to get the clue. It seemed so simple now that the answer was given to him. He snorted angrily as he looked at the new clue. It was only an old timetable for trains; some of the times were circled with red. On the trains departing the circles were on 19:01, 3:45, 2:42, 1:20, 7:56, 3:15, 3:54, 4:58, 14:42, 2:30, 20:20, 5:48 and there was only one circled in the arriving trains 22:36.

_It has to be some kind of a mathematic equation,_ Chill thought. But how? None of the numbers gave him any direction. He looked at them for a long time, forming different kinds of equations, but failing to come to a sensible answer. Then he tried to find some connection between the times and the name of the train station, West Soho. He still couldn't find anything at all.

" You know, those aren't healthy for growing teenagers like you." He heard an old man say. He was wearing a ragged shirt and loose jeans; his beard hadn't been shaved in a very long time. In other words, he was a hobo. There was no other way he would've been up so early in the morning. On his face was a worried expression as he continued: "You'll never grow up if you keep smoking."

"Oh?" Chill's eyes narrowed. "Up yours, you old _fart_. I don't need your 'I'm a good Samaritan' act. I'm twenty-five and if you won't get lost this instant I'll stick this cigarette down your throat."

"…I'm sorry for trying to _help_ you." He said with wide eyes, turning to walk away.

Chill looked after him for a while, thinking. Even strangers were worried about his smoking. He could tell Link didn't like it because the elf had asked him about it and he always had the certain expression of disgust when he lit a cigarette. But why did everyone care about it so much? No one had before. Why should they care now?

He dropped the cigarette to the ground as he started towards the victim, snorting.

During the day Roy was with Peach, shopping the necessary items for their baby. He had done everything he could to avoid that, even saying that Young Link needed to be watched constantly, but she had insisted him to come along. Gladly Roan was able to go to see Young Link after school, almost dispelling the uneasy feeling of leaving Young Link alone from Roy's mind.

Roy was in his thoughts, wondering what Chill and Link were doing as he looked at the cradles of all shapes and colours. It was amazing how many different kinds of cradles there were, considering that the baby didn't care where he or she was sleeping. What a business.

But he was still feeling jealous every time he thought of Link with Chill. The boy had been so straightforward about his feelings; it wouldn't take long from Link to understand what he really wanted. And that was very frightening. If Link began to like Chill it would mean that he would no longer think of him and him alone. Of course, it was selfish of him to hope for that when he was going to marry Peach, but he couldn't help it. He loved Link. He wanted him to be his alone. Because if-

"Roy!" The voice woke him up from his thoughts.

"Yes?" He turned to look at Peach, she was looking at some baby clothing.

She tsk-tsked. "Honey…"

Roy sighed as he began to walk towards her; "Yes, honey?"

"Better." She smiled, offering her cheek. Roy rolled his eyes as he quickly brushed his lips past her cheek, hoping that she would've been Link. And if she had been Link, he wouldn't have been satisfied with just a kiss on his cheek, no way. He would've wanted a kiss on the mouth. No. He wasn't thinking of that. He pushed the thoughts away quickly, almost scared of the directness of his mind.

He missed Link a lot lately, he didn't feel bad for admitting that because he loved him. He just couldn't say it. Again he could feel the claws of jealousy clenching his chest as he thought of Chill. It was true that he was annoying because he was self-assertive, rude and short, but he was spending more time with Link than him. And because he was so frank he had probably already told Link that he liked him, giving him the only thing he wanted: a confession. Roy bit his lip, before he would get married he was going to tell Link about his feelings. And he promised, he would use those-

"Roy!" Peach called him sharply.

He woke up from his thoughts again. "Yes, honey?"

"Come and walk next to me. Otherwise people will start talking." She said casually.

"It's not like they notice us." He commented, already catching up with her.

"Of course they do." She shot him a glare. "Everyone notices my beauty."

They looked at various things for the child, in the end buying only the cradle and a few clothes. As Roy drove her home, he realised that she hadn't really needed to go shopping; she had just wanted to be with him. He was a bit mad at her because he had promised Link that he would stay at the hospital, but then again, she was his fiancée and had a word in his life as well. He just needed to get used to it.

At the hospital Roan sat next to Young Link's bed, looking at the tiny boy with a fond expression. Seeing him there, lying on the hospital bed, it was a beautiful sight. Like a sleeping angel, the halo broken and the wings fallen off as the world's cruelty had scarred his completeness.

He flinched as Young Link snorted, a gush of happiness flowing through him. Was he waking up? Was he going to get up finally? Would he open his eyes then? Would he get up and smile at him, wondering why he looked so surprised? Roan couldn't help the seed of hope inside of him growing into a tree, making it hard to hold back laughter and the tears of joy. Young Link was alive. He had moved.

And then he waited.

And waited while he cried, cried out the uncertainty and pain, getting ready to feel the happiness gushing through him like gale winds as the boy would open his eyes.

And waited.

His long wait was rewarded. Young Link opened his eyes slowly, gazing at the ceiling. His blue eyes were fixed right above him, looking up there with astonishment mixed in fear as if there was some divine creature looking back at him, giving him another chance in life. Roan stood by his bed, scared that Young Link was not going to move anymore, looking at him with wide eyes.

_God, be all right, oh God, let him be all right..._

Then the boy turned his head to the side, looking at him with the same astonishment on his face. _"I'm alive…"_ He mouthed slowly, staring at the wall behind Roan. Instinctively Roan checked if there was something strange on the wall, the look in those blue eyes was so shocked yet so astonished that he didn't know how to act.

"Young Link?" The other boy called shyly, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Roan?" The young elf flinched upon hearing his voice as if he hadn't even noticed him there before. He sat up as he rubbed his eyes while mumbling something quietly to himself. The blanket fell off him, revealing the large bandage on his chest. Roan couldn't help the flashbacks, the screech, the thump… the whole event rolled before his eyes once more, making him groan in pain.

He collected himself quickly, knowing that Young Link was probably more shocked that he was. He had survived a car crash, woken up in a hospital with no adults around to tell him what was going on. Judging from the expression on his face, he was horrified. Roan feel an uneasy feeling flow through him but when there was no one else around he took the responsibility of an adult and said: "You… were hit by a car. You're now in the hospital."

"I… I remember." Young Link said slowly, seeing the crash in front of him and feeling the intense pain he had felt after it all over again. His chest had blocked his breathing for a second, his mouth had been dry before he had coughed up blood, he had felt the warm liquid stain his hair and gluing it against his forehead before he had passed out. He took a few sharp breaths, the panic taking him over again. Roan took a firm hold of his hand, calming him down a little. But it didn't help. He could still feel the pain, the blood on his hair, flowing to his face. He rubbed his eyes again.

Roan climbed to sit on the bed, looking directly into Young Link's eyes as he said: "You shouldn't rub your eyes."

Young Link stared at his hand for a long, long time without answering. Then he rubbed his eyes again, almost furiously, completely ignoring what Roan had just told him.

"Ah…ah…" Young Link tried to talk, but couldn't. The tears were forcing their way out.

Roan hesitated for a short moment before he took his friend in a hug, patting his back comfortingly. Young Link tried to talk again, but the words came out as a frightened wheeze, as a mass of confused whizzes.

Roan pressed him against him tightly: "Thank God you woke up."

Young Link wailed and buried his face into Roan's neck, crying desperately. He had felt Roan's warmth, heard his voice, felt his hands, smelled his mild scent, but no matter how hard he had tried he hadn't seen his blue eyes.

**EPISODE 08: Restlessness Part 02 Eyeless Eyes**

Wow, it became really long… but Young Link's finally awake! Wha-

Chainsawer: Mora! –starts the chainsaw-

runs away- Non ho capito! Non ho capitooo!

Researcher: He want eat her?

Keeper: He not know she not very tasty.

Researcher: Not at all very tasty.

Keeper: Thank read. Reader… review tasty.


	38. Restless Part 03 Rainy On My Wedding Day

**-8-**

Ahh, sweet nostalgia. I found the good old _Super Mario Super Show_ episodes on _yahooligans_ and I've been watching them ever since. When I was a kid I loved that show. And I still do. I'm so naïve. More about me and stuff you can find on my web page (the address is on my stupid profile).

Anyway, it's time for some happy news! I have finally, after two months' work, finished the scrabble of the special _Smash File_! Personally I think it's the best _Smash File_ and also closest to the _X-files_. I think I'll be able to publish it on time (26th June) and if I'm fast I'll publish it earlier!

**EPISODE 08: Restless Part 03 Rainy on My Wedding Day**

**---**

Link was going through the murder scene, picking up the screwdriver into a plastic bag for the laboratory, knowing that they wouldn't find any fingerprints anyway when his phone rang maliciously in his pocket.

It had been a long day, full of sleety rain here and there. It didn't bother Link because the rain only washed away the blood that had spilled on the ground, reminding him constantly of the victim with a screwdriver in his head. The reddish water flowing down the drain was like from a horror movie, like the murderer was washing his hands to show them they would never catch him, not red-handed. The clouds were hanging heavily just above the ground, their cottony figures swollen with all the water they contained. Later on it would rain heavily.

He took off his gloves he had to wear not to leave fingerprints anywhere looking for the cell phone in his pockets. It was awfully quiet. The only sound came from his partner. Chill was somewhere in the distance, talking with a few police officers, his angry tone of voice sometimes reaching Link's ears.

The phone was found and he answered it, hoping that the reason why Roy would call him wouldn't be strictly work.

"Hello?" He said.

As Roy spoke, his voice sounded extremely confused. The tone of his voice didn't jump from one edge to another; that was what made it so strange. His voice was everything at once. He was delirious and he was devastated at the same time, tears of both joy and sorrow flowing down his cheeks. With a lot of effort he managed to say one coherent sentence: "Young Link's… finally _awake_."

The same moment Roy uttered those words the clouds snapped, pouring down massive amounts of water. In less than a second Link was soaking wet, the nearly warm water gluing his clothes to his skin. Thanks to the water he recovered immediately from the shock. He tucked the cell phone back to his pocket, running towards their car, hoping that Chill was waiting for him there.

The silver-topped boy was there, trying to hide from the rain under a big umbrella. It didn't work. It had started to rain so suddenly that Chill had got wet, and even having his umbrella didn't help; it rained so hard it had broken it like a straw.

Link opened the doors, getting into the car where the rain couldn't wet them any longer. Chill sat down next to him and as he closed the door the sound of water, like a waterfall, became distant. He looked out of the window beaten by the large raindrops, his short silvery bangs clued to his face, his milky white skin looking even paler in the greyish light coming from outside. He touched the cold glass, ascertaining almost absent-mindedly:

"It's raining cats and dogs out there."

Link started the car, noticing that he could barely see the bonnet. "And completely unexpectedly."

"It's been drizzling all day." Chill remarked frankly, as usual. "It's no use staying here now that it's raining so hard. We should head back to the office and do some of the paper work that's piled on us."

Link hesitated before he said: "I heard some news from the hospital… I'll leave you at the office, but I'll have to go see the boy."

"He woke up, right?" Chill asked.

"Yeah…" Link answered as he began to drive very carefully. He was feeling exactly like Roy, confused with all the feelings flowing through him. His guts were in a knot of excitement, in just a few minutes he would know if the car crash had paralysed the boy or erased his memory or whatever. A part of him wanted to drive as fast as he could, ignore the red lights, but the other part of him was reluctant to go to the hospital at all because there he would get to know what had happened.

He obediently stopped at the red light, sighing.

Meanwhile in the hospital Roan was still holding Young Link, wondering what was wrong. He hadn't been able to make Young Link tell him what had happened, what was so shocking that he had started to cry. He was so confused. He had thought the boy would be happy to wake up, happy that he had survived a car crash, but he had only burst to tears. He just held the tiny elf, unable to tell if he had wanted to die or if something horrible had happened to him. Maybe his feet were paralysed? Maybe he was in such pain he had to cry to ease it.

"Young Link… what… what's wrong?" He asked finally, growing too anxious to hold the question back any longer.

The young elf drew a few quick breaths, trying to pull himself back to one piece. Roan glanced into his eyes briefly, the tears flooding out of his eyes, those eyes that did not look at anyone or anything.

Young Link tried to calm down as he said: "I'm blind!"

With a gasp Roan realised it. Young Link had heard and felt, but hadn't been able to see. He had felt the soft fabric of the hospital bed, Roan's warm hug, heard the rain whipping the window with large raindrops, his friend's soothing tone of voice. But he hadn't seen the colour of the walls of the hospital room, the window stained with the raindrops, the worried expression of his friend's face, the bruises on his body… It felt like he had lost everything. His sight was the most important thing to him. Losing it meant losing so much: the ability to read, the ability to walk alone and play games. He wailed again, pressing closer to Roan.

"Young Link, don't cry…" Roan said softly, patting his back. He knew his words had probably no effect on the elf, but it was the only thing he could do. He felt so useless; there was nothing better he could do for the boy he loved so much. Young Link was blind, he had lost his sight and it would never return. He drew a deep breath to calm down and whispered the only thought in his mind to his ear: "Let…Let _me_ be your eyes."

Young Link looked through him with teary eyeless eyes. For a while he looked so pained, as if he was going to fall apart into millions of tiny pieces too hard to put into one piece again. Like a beautiful porcelain doll. "But… it doesn't help me at _all_!"

Roan pressed his forehead against his, grabbing his shoulders tightly. "I promise! I'll do my best!"

Both of them turned to look at the door as someone opened it quickly, rushing in. Young Link couldn't see, but he heard the sound and instinctively tried to see who had arrived. He wanted to cry again when he didn't see anything; only the darkness spread everywhere around him.

"Young Link! Your eyes!" The tiny elf heard Roy say. There was a slap as if he had covered his mouth after saying that.

Young Link turned his face down, feeling how Roan pulled him closer again. Wanting to be comforted he leaned into his hug, hearing how Roy walked closer. The steps stopped next to his bed, the mild scent of Roy floating to his nostrils. It almost surprised him how manly Roy smelt for his soft appearance because he had never before noticed what kind of a scent the redhead wore. He hadn't needed to before. Now that his most important sense was gone he needed to know what the redhead smelt like, what he felt like, what he sounded like.

He could imagine the redhead's expression very lively in front of him, so lively he almost believed he could actually see. He felt so happy to be able of remembering what Roy looked like and connecting it to his voice, but he also knew that he would never know for sure what kind of an expression he had. His image of Roy would never change. He would stay forever young in his mind. Maybe it was even better that way; maybe the redhead wanted him to remember him like that.

"Young Link…" Roy said, still in a shock. He couldn't accept Young Link's blindness so easily. It seemed impossible. He was so young and full of life; he couldn't lose something as vital as his sight. He was not even an adult yet, lost his sight forever. He would never be able to live normally again; he would never be able to be independent. The redhead placed his hand on Young Link's back, the boy turning to hug him as well, only crying more. The cruelty of life had hurt him when he was still nothing but a boy and it had hit him _hard._ He would need all the comfort and consolation there was to get used to his blindness, accept it, learn to live with it. Learn that losing one sense didn't mean the end of the world.

"Young Link…" He said painfully, thinking of something to say. "If I could… I would take your blindness and give you _my_ sight."

The boy held onto him like a burr, only tightening his grip as he cried. He was clearly sure he was going to die; he was going to be left behind or alone in the dark when everyone else would continue living on. Roy drew a few calming circles on his back as he hugged him, trying to tell him he had people who cared about him and would never abandon him. No matter how difficult the next few months would be, how frustrating it would be to learn to trust his other senses, how annoying it would be to hear others laughing at pictures… he would always have someone to hold him standing if his tiny legs gave in.

Link ran into the room, happiness on his face. He was almost shining, but at the same time an almost visible storm cloud shadowed his eyes. He knew something was wrong; he just hadn't wanted to believe it. When he saw Young Link's eyes, he almost crumbled to the floor. He took a hold of the wall staring into the empty eyes, into their cloy darkness. His eyes flooded, but he was able of holding back his tears. Roy tried to smile encouragingly to him, knowing how badly he blamed himself for Young Link's accident, but his smile had no effect. It was like a butterfly in the rain, a struggling spot of colour being crushed under the sharp raindrops. His smile, like the butterfly, died in seconds.

Before Link's legs gave in Roy ran to him and hugged him, comforting him the best he could. He didn't know any other way, he was lost as well, his heart was beating fast and his mind was in a mess, he felt guilty for not being able to give Young Link his eyes. Because of that he knew Link blamed himself for the small elf's blindness, he blamed himself twice as much as anyone. Roy whispered comforting words to his long ears, sometimes Link pressed him so tightly against himself that Roy felt like he was suffocating, but he didn't care. If touching him made Link feel better he wouldn't care if it hurt. Just as long as his beloved elf was happy.

"Link, could we talk in the corridor for a while?" Roy asked with a whisper into his ear. He was going to tell Link about his feelings and he would do it now. That if anything would make Link's day. He just needed to force the three words out of his mouth, give them to Link. It sounded so simple, but… it was so extremely hard.

With one deep breath Link was in one piece again knowing that if someone or something disturbed his fragile mind now he would go crazy, he would go mad with delirium, laugh and laugh at the misfortune of others. "…Sure", he answered, trying not to wonder about his crazy trail of thought as he let go of the redhead and walked past him to the corridor. He had no idea what Roy had to talk about. Was he going to comfort him with yet another kiss? Would he hug him gently, invite him over for a cup of coffee? Would he forget Peach, forget his child and give himself to him, love him like nothing else? He sighed. It would never happen.

In the corridor Link took Roy back into his arms, feeling him close made him feel so much calmer, remember the night they had spent in the tiny apartment of Cosworth Street 217 under the brown ominous sky. Back then they had been so happy, the only problems had been Roy's homophobia, something that would be overcome by time. Now the troubles had been squared. Link felt like he had lost control a long time ago, lost the true will to live when he had lost his redhead.

Roy glanced at him quickly as if he was waiting for a good moment, swallowing nervously. "Link… I just want you to know something… b-before I get married. It took me so long to realise it and… I just… need you to know that… I… I'm in… I lo-"

"Is he all right?" Chill appeared next to Link, looking at the redhead with murderous eyes. The gaze of those light blue, icy eyes was freezing enough without the mad, destructive glint in them. Maybe Chill was short, maybe it was easy to look down on him, but from his eyes the redhead could see that if someone crossed his path they would regret it. Roy jerked away from Link, wiping his face with his hand, trying to hide his blush by looking at his feet. Of course he looked laughable, but he couldn't help the red rising on his face.

Link looked at Roy when he answered to Chill. "…He's… blind."

"Can I go see him?" The silvery-topped boy asked almost cheerfully. He had timed himself perfectly.

"…Sure, Roy just had… something to talk to me about… We'll be right there." The elf managed to sound rather normal. At times his voice quivered, but he was in control of himself again.

Roy sighed as he followed Chill into the hospital room. "It's all right. Never mind."

They all spoke with Young Link after that, trying to make him feel better, but Roy noticed that the only one who could actually calm him down whenever he burst to tears was Roan. Young Link would keep on hiccupping and wailing when the boy was in the bathroom or something, but the instant he got into Roan's arms he calmed down, only sobbing and sniffling. Roy couldn't say what it was the tiny elf found in Roan's arms, was it either the company of someone of the same age, the presence of someone with the same kind of a mind or the touch of a very close friend but in the end only Young Link's recovery would matter. If no doctor could help him someone would have to; someone of his own age and sharing the same thoughts. Who could be better than Roan?

Chill's phone rang, the tune of NYPD Blue breaking the silent atmosphere in the room. It sounded like an alarm clock in the morning or like the bells of churches after a King or Queen's death, only making the atmosphere even tenser. The silver-haired boy apologised quickly, running out of the room to answer it. After a while he returned as quietly as he could, ascertaining: "There's been another murder."

"…Where?" Link asked absent-mindedly, sitting on the end of Young Link's bed, holding him and Roan in his hug.

"In the southern colliery." Chill said. "And I figured out the clue. It was a line of mathematic equations, each time on the departing trains was a division to get a letter in the alphabets and the time in the arriving trains meant when, only …he's early." The boy said as he checked his watch.

"I never even saw the clue!" Link said, Roy quietly agreeing with him as he glared at Chill.

"I didn't even get to think about it properly." Chill said, rubbing his chin. "The murderer is obviously escalating."

Roy snorted, turning to look out of the window into the rainy afternoon. "Every murderer escalates once they get away with murder. This means he has been killing already ten years ago."

Chill nodded without answering. He wasn't going to talk to Roy. To him Roy was non-existent.

"Why is that?" Link asked.

The redhead turned around, leaning against the cold glass. "A murder gets old after ten years of investigation and the charges are dropped."

"Chill, could you hand Roy the clues?" The elf asked. "Maybe you can figure out what kind of a guy he is."

Chill took the clues from his pocket obediently, just like the elf has asked. When he was about to hand them to Roy he dropped them to the floor, smiling devilishly. "Oops."

Roy took a deep breath not to lift the boy from his throat and throwing him out of the window. He had to remain calm; he had to be the one who was above it all. He was not going to lower himself to Chill's level; if he began to play with his rules he would surely lose. Instead he just obediently picked up the clues, trying to act as calm as he could. From his trembling hand Chill could see he had succeeded in annoying him to the point of boiling.

Roy read the clues, frowning a little. They were very different from each other, some of them containing texts cut off from newspapers, the others full of pictures. As he looked at them he could see only one thing for certain:

"The murderer has obviously university education, I'd say he's an engineer. Also very close to kids, maybe he has a child of his own. How were the victims…?" Roy asked.

"…The other was decapitated and the other had a screwdriver in his head. What about the other murders?" Link asked from Chill.

"As aggressive as those two." The silver-topped boy said sourly.

"Maybe he's trying to release people from pain. At least it looks like it from this first clue. He may feel guilty about something and he's trying to comfort himself by 'letting' others out of their misery. Maybe he has to hold back his aggressive nature at work and home, but he can't always do that. He could also have a bad ADHD and he may not have got the medical attention it needs."

"In other words, he's a whacko." Chill ascertained. The redhead had not given him anything knew, worth of thinking about. He had used the words 'maybe' and 'I think', making it easy for him to take it all back if he was wrong. Chill snorted. Psychologists were all just a bunch of swindlers.

"Well, objectively." Roy agreed, clenching the papers in his hand. "Every _whacko,_ however, is different." He remarked sharply. Chill was trying to make his profession look laughable.

"Hm. I see." Chill said icily, not even bothering to look at Roy.

"I'll go to the headquarters and search through all the 10-year-old cases." Roy said, half giving up. He was going to marry Peach anyway, why was he even trying to fight over Link with Chill? It was useless. Chill was going to take the elf from him, one way or another.

"I'll come with you." Link said warmly. "Roan, would you mind staying here? Chill, could you take a look at the murder scene and then join us?"

Roan nodded, whispering something to sobbing Young Link.

Chill turned around to face the door. "The murder scene needs a crime scene investigator."

"Not during a rain like this." Link smiled sadly. "I'd just be on the way."

Chill glanced at him, obviously thinking of what to say but couldn't come up with anything. Link was right. It was useless to drag a crime scene investigator out to the rain when it had washed away all of the clues and possible fingerprints. He was the mastermind, he would only need to look at the murder scene, receive the new clue and everyone was waiting for him to figure it out like a machine.

He left the hospital room, for once admitting defeat. Not because Roy would've defeated him, no, but because Link had. Maybe he hadn't meant it and if he had Chill would change his mind eventually. When the redhead would be out of the picture he would make sure Link would know his place was by him.

Roy kept sighing constantly as the two sat at the computer in their tiny office in the headquarters. He wanted a word to start his confession with because he couldn't just spit it out. If he did that Link would only ask him to repeat what he had just said and then it would already be too hard. With a sigh he began, began with an apology: "Link, you don't know how sorry I am."

Link tried to smile, looking at the computer screen. "Yes, I do. I'm sorry for him too."

Roy looked at the keyboard as he continued. "…And I'm sorry for all the things I've made you go through."

Link put a hand on his back, leaning his head a bit. "It's all right. I know how hard it is."

"No, you don't. I still, after everything that's happened, haven't told you… that… that I-I lo--"

"New clue found." Chill walked calmly into the room, smiling smugly at Roy. From the smile he had on his face the redhead understood very well what he meant. He had timed himself! He had waited outside the office, knowing he would try to confess and appeared at the last minute. Roy almost growled, Chill was so devilishly brilliant he wanted to strangle him. Chill only smiled at him as he read the clue for them: "Tell them to double-check to make sure your pizza is, in fact, dead."

"…Interesting." Link stood up, taking the clue from Chill and sitting back down.

"He's becoming more and more gruesome." Roy said, judging from the mental image the clue gave him. "…I found only three violent murders around here in 1994."

Link turned to look at him: "Maybe we should talk to their relatives to get some pointers whom to catch?"

"Yes." Roy nodded. "Mrs. Dunham was killed with a baseball bat on Bartleby Street 45, Ms. Randall was killed with scissors… on Russel Street 774", Roy hesitated a little before telling the last one. "Tiny Mr. Conner was poisoned on Marledge Street 354."

Link shivered. "I want to catch this guy."

"Me too." Roy answered, looking at him solemnly. "Let's split up. I'll talk with Conner's relatives, but I'll have to leave work a little earlier because of the wedding."

Link flinched upon hearing the word 'wedding.'

"I'll take Randall." Chill said, Roy was answering his devilish attacks cleverly by keeping him away from Link. Too bad he had to stay away from him as well.

"…I'll go after Dunham then", Link said, trying not to think about the wedding. As he got up, he touched Roy's back with a smile, apologising for not having the time to listen to what he had had to say. As he disappeared into the corridor with Chill Roy smiled back at him, wishing that he wasn't marrying Peach, hoping that Link's warm hug would be his and his lips would only kiss him.

He sighed heavily as he followed the two out of the office to their cars. He was just too much of a coward; a pitiful bastard who couldn't say how he felt even when he knew Link loved him more than anything. Too bad there were only two cars in the parking slot and the other being Roy's car, Chill didn't even ask to come along. He jumped into the other car and drove away as quickly as he could; somehow showing Roy how much he despised him.

"Link…" The redhead plucked up all of his courage as he started the engine.

"Yeah?" The elf asked, turning to face him.

"I…" It was so much easier to picture the situation, think about how he was telling him about his feelings, how Link would smile at him and kiss him happily… but when it was there, he couldn't force the words out of his mouth. He couldn't help the thought of Link loving Chill instead of him. What if the elf would tell him to get lost? Of course he knew Link wouldn't, but the situation was so hard. He was too close; he was too different and too alike. Roy couldn't say how much he loved Link. He had no idea what words to use if he chose to use them at all.

He parked the car, turning to face Link as well. "I'm wearing blue socks today."

Link stared at him for a while, completely dumbstruck. Then he raised his eyebrows inquiringly, wanting to know why it was so important for Roy to let him know the colour of his socks. "W-what?"

"Call me when you need a ride back." The redhead said with a smile, ignoring his question. The elf looked at him for a while, completely unable to understand what he had just said. Roy kept smiling. He kept smiling although he knew he had just screwed up, he had ruined the one moment, the one chance he had had to tell Link about his feelings.

He wanted to hang himself for being such a dork.

Link got out of the car and watched it disappear behind the corner, still dumbstruck. He couldn't understand the redhead anymore. It seemed like Roy had cut him off his life, deserted him. And he had always thought the redhead loved him, even if he couldn't say it or show it. Had he been wrong all the time? Or was Roy just acting strange?

Chill rang the doorbell of a suburban house painted with pastel colours. He had just walked through the yard full of beautiful flowers ranging from daffodils to roses and bluebells to orchids. On every window was a lace curtain, messaging Chill that he was going to meet an elderly couple. He needed to be a lot nicer to them. He chuckled. It wasn't his problem to be nicer. He was an SFBI agent; he was just as harsh as he wanted to be.

He had been right. An old woman opened the door, bemoaning that she hadn't been to the store and bought any cake when someone as important as an SFBI agent came to visit. Chill said it was all right as long as he could smoke inside. What fun it was to have such authority if he couldn't do whatever he pleased?

He asked the old woman and her even older husband a few questions about the girl. They were positive her old boyfriend had killed her, accusing him of all the bad things that had happened to them. Chill listened to them rant about it, putting out his cigarette into his coffee cup every time.

At one point in their little chat Chill asked them about how she died, just to be sure. The old woman told him she had the scissors in her stomach, of course she was positive the boyfriend had done it. After digging that with questions for a while it cleared to Chill. The girl had made a suicide and her parents had wanted someone to blame instead of themselves.

He put out the last one of his cigarettes into his coffee cup, giggling internally. As he left he told them what he thought and advised them to look for an answer to her suicide in themselves. He told them the location of the next church in case they wanted to spend their time praying after being such bad parents. Humming, he closed the garden gate behind him silently, hearing how the lady burst to tears.

Roy wanted to hit himself. He wanted to bang his head against a wall until it bled. He had been alone with Link, but he hadn't managed to tell him about his feelings. And why he had told him something as stupid as wearing blue socks? He could've told him he loved him just as easily!

He couldn't concentrate on his interview; Link was on his mind all the time, not even the crying of the boy's relatives made him pay attention. Mrs. Conner was subconsciously blaming her husband about her son's murder, or at least that was what she hinted to Roy between the lines. Mr. Conner seemed relieved that someone was looking into their son's murder, but couldn't name anyone who would've wanted him dead. Pretty much the ordinary murder case.

He couldn't stop thinking about his stupid expression. But he couldn't think of a way to tell Link about his feelings. Every night he thought of him when the moon came out from the clouds he could remember how it had shined on Link's skin when they had slept together the very first time. Whenever he thought of that he tried to suffocate the thoughts, but they crept from between the floorboards under his bedding again and again.

He left the house, bumping to the garden gate as he went, waving goodbye to the Conners absent-mindedly. Visiting them hadn't helped at all. Only in the car he remembered all the files on the husband's table, having a hunch that he needed to check his background. Maybe he was an engineer.

Mrs. Dunham's widow husband seemed very offended that an officer would come to ask him questions about his wife. Link understood that because he had been a suspect in the murder investigation, but the police hadn't found any evidence that he had killed his wife. He was very reluctant to say anything, but he found out that she had cheated on him a few times during their marriage.

He felt confused as he interviewed him. Roy had acted so weirdly and Young Link had awakened. A part of him was delirious with joy, but at the same time he felt a crushing pain; his mind was in pieces. He felt that only blowing up would make him feel any better. Without a doubt he knew what he needed. He needed someone to talk to, someone who would listen to his pain.

The husband offered him a cup of coffee, but he didn't want to drink it. For a while he interviewed him, finding out that he had a shop of his own downtown and a daughter on fifth grade. Remembering what Roy had said about the profession of the victim he apologised for taking his time and left.

As he stepped to the yard, he remembered Serge again. He was someone he could talk to. He was always there, in his grave and talking to him would surely make him feel better. Without a thought of sounding strange he took his cell phone and called Roy, called before he would change his mind and keep it all inside.

_"Hello?"_

He smiled as he heard the redhead's voice. "Hi, Roy. I think I'll walk home. I have some errands to run anyway."

_"Oh, all right. Will you be at the wedding today?"_ The general asked.

The elf thought of something to say. He couldn't go there, he couldn't watch how Roy was robbed of his freedom, his true love, his life. "I'm sorry, Roy."

_"It's all right…. I'll see you tomorrow at work then."_

_"_Yeah, see you." He put the cell phone back to his pocket, starting towards the cemetery just a few blocks away.

Link arrived to the graveyard and bought a bouquet of flowers from an old man. As he reached the grave, he stopped with a fond smile on his lips. He had cried when Serge had been put to rest, he had stood in the same spot he stood then and held Serge's mother when she had cried. It had been a sad day, not only had it rained like that day but the heavens had also cried snowflakes. The ground had turned white as if it had wanted to respect their sorrow by silencing the birds and the land momentarily.

"It's been a while", he said as he threw the bouquet of flowers on Serge's grave. Her mother had brought him dozens of white roses and a tiny candle burned right in front of his gravestone.

"I just need to talk." Link said as he sat down, trying to laugh at the thought of talking to a gravestone, but it made him feel relieved. "So many things have happened… I feel like… I'm falling apart."

He was quiet for a while then, subconsciously waiting for an answer, but of course, a gravestone couldn't answer.

"My mind's a mess. I'm so happy that Young Link's awake since he was in a car crash, but it hurts me to know that my beloved… Roy… is getting married right about now."

He glanced at the flowers resting on the grave as he continued: "Young Link's blind. The car crash damaged his optic chiasm and according to the doctors once the optic chiasm is destroyed one can't regain his vision. I don't know how to tell this to him… although I think he already knows it…"

As a gush of wind played with his bangs he looked up at the solemn gravestone. Link could almost see his former partner sitting there, on his grave with a tender smile on his lips, listening to what he had to say. He could imagine his blue-black bangs swaying in the wind, at times covering his dark blue eyes.

"I don't know how to comfort him. I'm so broken myself that I don't know if I can even do that." Link sighed. "I need advice, but I have no idea who could give me some."

He could imagine Serge's voice so vividly, as if he was really there, smiling as he sat cross-legged on his grave._ "I've heard that other senses get better once one is lost. If nothing else comforts him, you should tell him that he could've become completely paralysed. He was lucky." _

Link tried to smile. He knew his subconscious was giving him someone to talk with to ease his pain. And it really helped, talking with his subconscious masked as his old partner really made him feel like he was talking with another person. "But he's only ten. I don't think he'll ever get over it completely."

_"You underestimate children. They may not know much, but they understand a lot. He knows how lucky he is if you point it out for him." _

"You're right." Link nodded sadly. "I just…" He fell quiet, unable to continue.

Serge smiled. The smile was exactly like Link remembered it to be. But of course it was, the Serge he saw was only a vision created from his memories. _"I know he'd like you and Roy together."_

"That's impossible." The elf said, wiping his nose quickly. The tears were blocking his throat again. "Roy's getting married."

_"What if you took Young Link there? A wedding is always a happy occasion and might take him mind off his blindness for a while."_

"I can't go to his wedding." Link wiped his eyes.

Serge only leaned his head. _"Because it's too painful?"_

_"_That too. I don't want to see the expression on his face when he walks down the aisle with Peach."

_"He'll be twice as sad to see that you never showed up."_ His old partner replied, looking at the sky with a smile. Serge had always loved the outdoors, whenever he hadn't been at work he had been in the forest camping or hiking. He had understood the true value of nature and enjoyed it with his whole heart.

Link swallowed his tears, looking at his feet. "There's nothing there he'd want me to see."

_"I wanted you to see my funeral."_ The black-haired boy said, his deep blue eyes fixed on his.

"What? But that's a totally different thing."

_"How? He loses everything when he marries her",_ Serge said, trying the wet ground on his grave._ "Isn't losing everything like dying?"_

_"Yeah…"_ Link had to admit. He had never understood how clever his subconscious was.

_"I'm sure he'd be happier if he saw you at his wedding and if you accepted his choice." Serge said, looking for an eye contact. _

"I can't accept his choice." The Hylian shook his head. He didn't want Roy to marry Peach, he wanted him to love him and raise the child with him. They could've been a family! They could've been parents! He knew a mother was important for Roy, but it was just unforgivable. Roy should've understood the importance of love instead of 'normality' the way he saw it. Link sighed.

_"Then at least provide him a shoulder to cry on. Be a friend." _Serge said calmly, the same tender look in his eyes. Their gaze was so soft and so calming, like someone was hugging him in the cold rain, holding him safe from all the evil in the world. Those eyes had always made him feel so peaceful. So strong.

Link didn't answer. He didn't want to go crazy like this, seeing visions.

Serge smiled. _"If you're lucky he'll come to his senses at the altar."_

"You think?" He asked, wiping his eyes again.

_"Anything's possible."_

Link got up the second he heard that. If his subconscious hadn't given up he shouldn't either. Roy could still be his.

_---_

Whoa… This part became really long too. I'll try to shorten the chapters so that you won't get bored reading them.

Thank you so much for reading; you know I love your reviews!


	39. Restless Part 04 Show Must Go On

**Still 6 parts left…**

Hello again and sorry I'm late. I went to Paris (and I frickin' loved it) and I've been busy with all kinds of messes in my life. Anyway, I finally uploaded the Special Smash File! It's called Gotta Glow. I'd really appreciate your reviews on it because I worked really hard with it!

**EPISODE 08: Restless Part 04 Show Must Go On**

_---_

Young Link wasn't smiling like usually, but when the fresh air flowed to the room from the open window a smile tugged at the corners of his lips. Maybe he couldn't see the darkening evening sky where the frail clouds sailed without a destination, but he could smell the air, hear the traffic somewhere down on the street's normality. The wind caressed his cheeks with its motherly touch.

Roan turned to look at Young Link when the tiny elf let out a quiet squeal.

"It says something about a giraffe!" He was reading a children's book for the blind. His hands moved still very clumsily on the rough paper, unsure of what they would find.

"What does it say?"

"Something. I said it already." The tiny elf answered, a little annoyed at he would need to repeat what he had just said. He wanted to learn how to read the text for the blind, but it wasn't that easy. Still, he didn't want to show Roan he didn't know the words in a children's book, because that would be embarrassing, blind or not.

He wiped his cheeks as if he had cried, still feeling how the salty liquid had dried his skin. He hadn't cried in a few hours, but it still felt like the tears were just leaking out of his eyes. There was no use crying. He couldn't be healed by crying like a baby. When Roan had held him gently, rubbing his back and telling him how he would survive he had suddenly realised that Roan was right, but only if he wanted it. He could cry uselessly over his blindness for the rest of his life or then just accept it and still enjoy the rest of his senses. He could still taste and feel and hear and smell. Those remaining senses would only get better when he was not able of seeing anymore.

He heard the silent wailing of sirens coming from the street, the angry shouts and screams, orders given and taken. Commands.

"What's going on in the street?" Young Link asked absent-mindedly from the bed, his eyes staring emptily at the wall while his hands moved almost frantically on the page.

Roan looked down to the busy street, surprised that Young Link had heard the hustle. He hadn't. The biggest rush hour had just passed, but there were still cars everywhere, zooming from one corner to another, looking for their destination. Lots of elderly people were walking on the street by the park, others watching pigeons sing and bounce while the others just sat on the benches reminiscing those good old days. An ambulance left the hospital, its own sirens wailing along with the police car's.

Three muscular police officers had jumped out of the car to catch a thief holding an old woman's bright red purse. It was probably very valuable judging from the diamond-looking stones on the side. What they did to him while they were holding him still wasn't pretty to look at.

"Three police officers catching a thief." He said with a newsreader's tone.

Young Link wasn't pleased with that. He grimaced at him, or somewhere near him and said: "I want better eyes."

Roan smiled and turned to have a better look on what had happened. "The thief's wearing jeans and a worn leather jacket, he's holding to a bag very tightly. One of the police officers is trying to take it from him. An old lady comes; she's wearing a red spotty dress. Oh, there's a poodle with her!"

"Is it a big or a little poodle?" The tiny elf asked, immediately picking an interest. Roan needed practise with storytelling, but he wasn't going to remark about that then.

The blonde boy gained more courage to hear his friend was actually interested in what was going on and wanted him to do his best as his eyes. He had understood how serious he had been when he had made that promise. "Just a tiny one. It's barking at the thief and as it barks it looks like its own bark sends it back a little."

Young Link laughed, imagining the situation in his head.

Pleased with the reaction he was getting, Roan continued: "The old lady walks to the thief and… she hits him! Pretty hard, too! The other officers are holding him still. Now she's scolding him."

"Will she hit him again?"

"No, the officers are taking him away. They put him in the car and the old lady follows them. She's scolding him even though the door's closed. The police car leaves."

"What does the lady do?" Young Link asked. He could see it so clearly in his head: the old lady looking a bit like Granny and the officers like Link, the street right in front of his school with the morning traffic hour. Of course he knew the street wasn't that, which was in front of his school, but it didn't matter. It was the image of a street he could remember.

"She talks to her dog. And to some of the people that have gathered to watch. Seems like she's not pleased with the police."

Young Link chuckled as he focused on his book again, thanking him quietly.

Roan walked to his bed and sat on the edge. He had to stand on his toes to get on the bed. He took the twitching hands into his, feeling how sweaty they were. Young Link was trying very hard, maybe even too hard to fight against the sorrow. For a while he just stared at his hands, wondering if he should or shouldn't break the promise he had made to himself. If he broke it he would know Young Link's feelings, but the result could also be the same as before. All the words would be repeated… the nicknames, the hurting after school, the jeering and the looks from those who were either too smart or too shy to tease him.

He let go of Young Link's hands with a sigh. Those empty eyes were staring right through him with their blind innocence, eliciting a desperate sigh from him. Young Link's hand was on his face, exploring it. His expression saddened as he felt Roan's sad expression and for some unknown reasons Roan let him slide his hands over his face. They felt smooth and spidery against his skin. In a flash the tiny elf pulled him into a hug, saying:

"We're best friends. We'll make it."

Roan wanted to say how much he hoped for them to be something more, but he forced the words down his throat. He wouldn't repeat the same mistake again. "Yeah. We're the best of the best friends."

"And even better." Young Link squeezed him.

_But what should I do to make **you** take the next step?_

Meanwhile Link ran the few last blocks to the church, passing the cars of those attending the wedding. In front of the church he had to stop to inhale the holy air around the mighty cathedral. It's light beige stony figure stretched high up to the heavens, reaching its top in the great bell tower where the biggest bell of the whole country was. When it was rung the whole city stopped to listen to the harmony of it with all the smaller bells.

The front of the gothic church was decorated with carvings of saints and prophets, chubby angels blowing their trumpets with their wings spread behind them, gargoyles looking down at him with their heads arched and their malevolent eyes fixing their stony gazes on him. The bell high up rung three times, its beautiful sound accompanied by the smaller bells. The wedding was about to begin.

Link snapped out of the frozen amazement seeing the church had caused in him as the bell rung the final time, its beautiful sound lingering in the air for a long time. The elf drew one encouraging breath before he ran the stairs to the massive oak doors under the saints' blessing hands. He had expected the door to be much heavier, but opening it didn't need much force because his anxiousness and anger towards Peach were giving him extra strength.

No one turned to look at him when he entered. They hadn't heard him enter through the beautiful rumble the organ made when it was played. A sweet, high boy was singing something, but he couldn't make out any of the words. His beloved Roy stood at the altar with his wife-to-be. He was wearing a completely black tuxedo; Peach had a white dress with pink flowers in the hem. She would've looked exactly like a princess from a dream wedding if her broken leg hadn't been seen.

The priest was an old man; his face was round and full of wrinkles of laughter. On his chin the remains of a beard were still trying to grow while his head had already given up and let him become completely bald. The white robe made him look a little like a snowman missing his black buttons.

"We gathered together here in the presence of friends and family to celebrate one of life's greatest relationships - the union between man and woman, which we call marriage." The priest began with a low, soft voice. His voice almost boomed in the silent church, its might was amazing.

Link stood at the massive doors, taken aback by the church's beauty. The stained glass windows lined both sides of the church, saints surrounded with angels looking down from them at those who were sitting in the house of God. On the ceiling a painted starry heaven floated, making the church look even higher than what it already was. Some golden painted angels flew in its darkness, shining the light of hope. On the ceiling over the altar was the Son of God with a light behind him, his gentle eyes fixed on Link's. Or that was how he felt.

The priest didn't wait for him to sit down; he had hardly even noticed him. With his low, massive voice he began: "As we join together Peach Ambrosia Toadstool and Roy Christian von Essén in this marriage, let us search our hearts for the wisdom of this covenant, which has from ancient times been expressed with those ideas that come from the heart. Ideas like love, loyalty, trust, fidelity, and forgiveness. Let us also decide to share our knowledge of these things with them as they start this journey together." He said, keeping a long pause. "Into this estate these two people come now to be joined. If any of you can show just cause why they may not be lawfully married, speak now or forever hold your peace!"

For a moment Link hesitated. That was what Roy had wanted. He had wanted to walk down the aisle with Peach, not with him. He had always wanted to be straight, to have a family and a mother. He had abandoned him to be a father to his child. He had wanted to buy her a ring from his own free will, from the responsibility of his unborn child.

But marrying her didn't mean he loved her! He married her only because he wanted a mother for his child! That was the only reason. If she hadn't been pregnant with his child he would've never married her. Link knew it had been Roy's decision and it still was, but at least he could show him he hadn't given up, not even at the last minute.

He looked at the priest at the altar, his eyes flaming with desperate love. The elf took one strong step forward, glaring at the priest with icy eyes.

"I resist this marriage!" He said, his voice erupting in a fiercer way than he had expected.

Everyone turned to look at him, including Roy and Peach. On Roy's face was the expression of utter disappointment. Obviously he hadn't wanted him to interfere with the ceremony. Peach glared at him like she was going to turn into a monster and eat his head for trying to ruin their union.

"Why do you resist this union between Peach Ambrosia Toadstool and Roy Christian von Essén?" The priest asked, looking at him with his calm experienced eyes. He could tell this wasn't the first time someone had resisted a marriage during his career.

"There is no love in that marriage!" He said. He was too desperate to back away now.

The priest looked at Peach and Roy, for the first time hesitation flashing in his grey eyes. "_Are _you in love?"

"Of course we are!" Peach snapped, glaring at him. The elf was not going to ruin her life, not when her perfect future was only a few words ahead. Those words said she could live her dream, stop working and focus on her appearance completely.

The priest looked at Link for a while, pondering if he should believe the stranger who had run into the ceremony with his fierce eyes, the agony of his love echoing in the hall. For a while he wanted to say he wasn't going to complete the ceremony, but it wasn't his decision. In his mind he blessed the intruder, prayed for his happiness and continued:

"Well then. Will you, Peach Ambrosia Toadstool, have Roy Christian von Essén to be your wedded husband, to live together in this union? Will you love him, comfort him, honour and keep him, in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others keep only unto him so long as you both shall live?"

"I will." Peach said smoothly, her mouth curved into a devilish smile.

"Will you, Roy Christian von Essén, have Peach Ambrosia Toadstool to be your wedded wife, to live together in this union? Will you love her, comfort her, honour, and keep her, in sickness and in health; and forsaking all others keep only unto her so long as you both shall live?"

The priest looked at Roy, waiting for his answer. Peach glared at him, her eyes almost burning holes to his skin. The redhead looked at his feet, wondering what he should do. He knew he was going to be unhappy with her, but he was having a child with her. He was going to be a father. He had made his decision and he hadn't come this far, walked down the aisle just to say he couldn't.

He glanced at the elf over his shoulder, mouthing: _I love you._ In those words were his true feelings, the feelings he had kept to himself ever since he had met the Hylian. Those words they were like a waterfall, too powerful to ever be chained to anything, the din of it hurting his tympanic membrane. As they got out he felt like the strangling rope around him was untying, giving way to his overpowering love. He had never expected saying them would make him feel so deliriously happy, the feeling of Link knowing his true feelings was hurting his chest. Not because he was going to be chained to Peach and not to him but because his heart had never been so open to love. Shocked, he turned back to look at the priest and said: "…I will."

Link received those words. At first he had been sure they had been something else. He hadn't been expecting them, not in a place or a situation like that. Roy's confession had hit him like a lightning from the sky, a great shock thundering down his spine. He wanted to scream back how much he loved him as well, but his body wasn't listening. Those words… he had waited for them for almost two years and as they lingered in the air around him they paralysed him with their love. They were true feelings, feelings that could move mountains and tears heavens apart.

And then there was nothing but black.

He opened his eyes in a strange apartment. He felt dizzy like after a wild roller coaster ride, his insides tangling like a messed spider's web. His body was still unsure of how to react to what he had heard. His chest was sore, his heart aching in a way it had never before. But now it wasn't as desperate as before, it knew Roy loved him even if he married Peach.

He turned to his side, recognising the light beige walls. He was in Chill's apartment. Above him the tiny window was open, the wind dancing with the curtains as air from the purplish red evening spilled in. He sighed, calling for Chill quietly. No one answered. He tried again, but without a response. Too tired to raise his voice, he closed his eyes, hoping to embrace the black serenity for a while longer.

Link didn't fall asleep again. The words Roy had uttered seemed to haunt him like ghosts; they forced their way into his thoughts whenever he tried to push them away. Hearing them under any other circumstances would've made his heart burst with happiness, but the image of Roy turning back to the priest to say 'I will' made him feel sad sympathy. Wanting to get it out of his head he sat up, a wave of nausea flashing through him. He was sure he would vomit and gagged but the feeling passed, leaving the nasty taste of gastric acid in his mouth.

_Much like ending a bad relationship,_ he thought bitterly as he stood up.

Chill wasn't in the apartment, but there was a note on his worktable, on top of high piles of papers, files and folders and strangely, old newspapers. Link took the bright yellow plast-it into his hand, reading the short boy's messy handwriting slowly to make out every word correctly:

"_A new murder in a pizzeria on 28th avenue. There was an eyeball in the pizza; I'm going over there to talk a little with the owner. When you're up for work join me."_

Link put the note back down, the old newspapers catching his interest almost immediately. Why would Chill collect old newspapers? He seemed like a person who didn't look back, at least that was how Link saw him. He never spoke about his past.

Maybe reading them was none of his business. Maybe they contained something very special to Chill. Maybe they were going to open the veil of ignorance around the silvery-topped boy a little. Of course he would never tell him if he found out something. He picked the first newspaper, looked at the front page with a curious expression.

_Teacher killed mysteriously in an alley_

The headline was certainly an eye catcher. Glancing at the other newspapers he saw a connection between them. In all of the newspaper on Chill's desk was a headline about the same murder. Why was he so obsessed about an old case like that?

_Both police and the SFBI looking into the teacher murder_

_Aricula Highschool mourns_

_Still no suspect in the teacher murder_

_Teachers outraged_

_Parents demanding psychological tests at schools_

_Suspect caught in the teacher murder_

_The investigation of the Teacher murder is being dropped _

Link could remember the case well. It had crept him out back then, someone had managed to kill with the minimum of violence. And a teacher! He had still been in school when it had happened and to hear something as gruesome like that could happen at school had made him see nightmares for a long time (and probably affected choosing his profession as well). Of course the teacher had been mutilated very badly, but that hadn't been the cause of death. According to the pathologist he would've survived the beating but not the tiny cannula stuck into the base of his neck. The murder had been devilishly clever; to use both violence and knowledge of the weakest body parts had confused officers everywhere. Unfortunately the police never caught anyone; at times they had arrested someone but released them after a week or so because of the lack of evidence. Link's eyes widened as his gaze met with the innocent gaze of a young boy, probably not older than ten.

Chill was on the front page. With the headline _Suspect caught in the teacher murder. _

The elf took a deep breath, the words 'Oh my God' escaping his lips. They weren't like a bemoaning complain, but like a prayer. He didn't want to find out why the police had suspected Chill. It had been hard enough to take in Roy's words; finding out Chill was a murder suspect wasn't making him feel any easier.

The picture of Chill on the first page was nowhere near the boy he knew. He had brown hair. Link looked at his soft, childish features with awe. On his left cheek was a bit of dirt as if he had been dragged to the picture from the playground, robbed of his innocence with threats to make him confess. His eyes were large, mocha brown eyes, tears glittering in them. He had once looked like a normal boy, like any boy from the neighbourhood without the icy cold eyes and silvery hair.

And in the back of his mind a question raised its ugly head: What had made Chill change so dramatically?

He wanted to wait for Chill to return, but if the silver-topped boy found out about him looking through his papers he would surely kill him. His thoughts still on the picture of the sad eyed young Chill he left the apartment to go back to Roy's wedding. If he were fast he would at least be able to steal Roy from Peach for one dance.

It was already late. He had been out cold for a fairly long time and after that the old newspapers had sucked him into their world, into the light yellow world of old paper for almost two hours. Maybe all the wedding guests had already headed home from the party along with the newlyweds; Link knew they hadn't booked a plane or a hotel for a honeymoon because Roy had told Peach he was too busy for that. Maybe later then.

He dialled the redhead's number almost instinctively, his head buzzing with too much information. He wouldn't have the courage to ask Chill about the teacher murder, but he had the courage to tell Roy just how much he appreciated and cherished his confession.

"_Hello?"_ The redhead's voice sounded like a weary old man's voice. But even in an old man's voice there's the fondness of life, the happiness of those golden memories, the experienced shine in their eyes mirroring in their speech. In Roy's voice there was none of those.

"Hi, Roy, it's me." Link said, feeling great empathy. And jealousy.

"_Oh, hi. Don't congratulate me. If anyone congratulates me anymore I'll go crazy."_

"…Marriage sounds great." The elf tried to elicit a laugh. Roy didn't actually laugh, but his sigh wasn't absolutely desperate. It was a step to better.

"_So anyway… why did you call?"_ The redhead asked, even if he was trying to sound casual there was a hint of excitement in his voice. If Link hadn't known him for almost two years he wouldn't have noticed it.

"Just wanted to cong… I mean, ask how the wedding went."

"_Fine after your interruption." _Roy ascertained, not sourly at all. It was as if he was fond of the event. The moment when he had confessed his love passed in front of Link's eyes like a movie. _"I used to think Chill's an asshole, but at least he's an asshole who knows how to act quickly without delaying the ceremony too much."_

"Well, isn't that great." Link said sarcastically. He found it almost funny how he had picked up some sarcasm from the redhead of his dreams.

"_It's great if I want to get rid of that depressing tuxedo." _

Link laughed and it eased his pain a little. Roy was trying to sound cheerful for him; maybe looking at the bright sides of even the tiniest things would make his happiness in the future. "What do you plan to do tonight?"

The redhead kept a long pause, probably thinking. _"…She was convinced her water broke just a while ago and wouldn't believe me, the one who has basic medical training, that she's just fine. The baby's just kicking harder."_

"Are you sure? You're a psychologist."

"_Even a psychologist has basic medical training." _Roy ascertained with a professional tone of voice.

Link wouldn't argue with that. He had no idea about medicine if it wasn't aspirin so it was better if he just left it for the experts. "…Is it all right to have a cup of coffee with you? On me?"

"_I… well, I guess it's okay." _The redhead stuttered. Link could almost see him blush as he remembered the moment of his confession, hoping that he wouldn't say anything about it. It was yet again one of those things Roy wanted to put on his nonexistent list.

"Great!" Link shuffled to the door, struggling to get his jacket on. "I'll be there in just a few minutes."

"_I'll try to find coffee from all this mess meanwhile." _The redhead said before he hung up.

The city was not going to sleep when Link got off the bus at Peach and Roy's apartment building. It was definitely quieter than what it was during the day, but it never seemed to die completely. If nothing else, the large screens advertising Coca-Cola or musicals and so on were always alive. Lifeless yet still lively.

He climbed the stairs with a smile. Chill wasn't on his mind anymore; the thought of meeting Roy had made his heart feel very light despite all the sympathy he felt. He was just happy to see the redhead, see him after his confession. Maybe he had changed. Maybe he had realised just how free he was when Peach wasn't around.

Roy opened the door, avoiding his gaze. His eyelids were hanging heavily, his weariness shining from his blushing face. He was trying to hide it under a smile, a mask of happiness. But under his skin, inside his heart he wanted to do the same he did; he wanted to throw himself into his arms and laugh and cry out of love, hold him tightly and run away to some secret hiding place.

"I was sure the wedding would've been cancelled." Link whispered as he took him into his arms. Roy leaned against his chest and for a moment he could've sworn he was trying to purr.

"…The show must go on." Roy responded to his chest, his barriers down. It was the first time they had spoken about his and Peach's relationship and Roy had admitted it was all a façadeto him. That he wasn't going to love Peach, ever.

Link cupped his cheeks with his hands, looking directly into his tired eyes. It had been done. He couldn't try to turn Roy's head anymore. He was now married and closed the door to being available. All he could do was to enjoy the moment they were alone without Peach.

"Dance with me." Link said quietly, careful not to break the soft atmosphere around them.

Roy chuckled tiredly, shaking his head. Link ignored it completely, slipping a hand behind his back to support him while he took his other hand in his. The first few steps were like moving in a thick jar of tar. Roy was like a statue. He tried not to want to dance.

After the few first steps it started to work. Link took the lead, pressing his forehead against Roy's. Step after step their movement became smoother. They had no background music, but it wasn't needed. Whatever song would've been good because they weren't listening. They were just enjoying each other.

Link squeezed the general against him, breathing the scent of his hair. Roy tried to stop dancing, but he pulled him after him. He closed his eyes as he returned Roy's confession, hoping that the redhead could feel the true love of his words like he had felt his: "I love you too, Roy."

The redhead blushed, remembering his confession was making him feel awkward. He hadn't been expecting Link to come to him after the wedding, at least not to dance romantically. Carefully he dodged the subject: "…I can't dance as the lady."

Link chuckled, pressing him closer from his sacrum. "It doesn't matter."

They danced.

And danced.

And the world was there no more before the phone rang.

Link picked up the receiver, hoping that it was Peach calling. Then she would know he was with her husband, dancing and loving him like nothing had changed. But it wasn't Peach. It was Marth.

**EPISODE 08: Restless Part 04 Show Must Go On**

So, there it is. I hope you enjoyed! Now then, remember to read the special Smash File: _Gotta Glow _and the updated _Beauty and the Beast_!

Chainsawer: Non pubblicizzo!

I'm not advertising!

Chainsawer: -starts the chainsaw- Mora!

Oh, you're such a gentleman, aren't you? –runs away-

Researcher: Thank read… Review…

Keeper: Tasty.


	40. Restless Part 05 Bang, Bang

I finished reading all of the RE books and I am twice as much in love with them than before. Oh yeah, and I finished RE 4 too, that might have something to do with it. I LOVE THAT GAME! I need to write fanfiction about it too! And who knows, probably include my dear pests—I mean pets in too!

* * *

**EPISODE 08: Restless Part 05 Bang, Bang**

* * *

Link hurried up the stairs to the precinct, pulling Roy behind him. The street left behind them was lit with the fragile light from the lonely lampposts, a soft omni on the sidewalk under them. Otherwise the whole street was dark. There wasn't even a soul. Some of the cars parked lining the street had been robbed, their broken windows showed how dangerous it actually was, with or without the precinct. 

The elf stopped at the counter, ringing the tiny bell on the table anxiously. There were no one else in the tiny hall; the ringing of the clock seemed to echo in its almost naked walls. Someone had pasted a picture of the playboy-bunny on the wall behind the desk. There was probably a real calendar somewhere, but neither felt like searching the walls for it. Roy took his hand out of Link's, not wanting to remember having danced with him just minutes ago.

It hadn't been anything serious, but somehow…

An elderly officer shuffled to the desk, dropping a half-eaten sandwich to the trashcan behind him. He had a loose uniform that barely covered his growing beer belly almost lost its colour during his long decades as an officer. Not exactly a pretty sight. He took a hold of the counter with his hairy hands; on his left palm was a serious burn. He sighed, fixing his deep green eyes on Link's, asking:

"What?" His voice was low and cracked. For a moment they examined each other, Link having a strange feeling he might end up like the man if he wouldn't let go of Roy and concentrate on something else at times. It was a scary feeling.

"Hello, I'm Link and I'd--" He started but was cut off.

"Carl." The man responded, looking at a magazine absent-mindedly. He licked his finger and used his saliva to change the page.

Link smiled at him, trying to hide the disgust he felt. "We'd like to see our friend. He's in custody here."

"Visiting hours are over." The man said. Link peeked over the desk to see what the magazine was about because it seemed to be much more interesting that talking with them. On the page the officer was looking at was a brand new Mustang in black, a truly beautiful sight.

Link nodded slowly. "I see."

Roy looked at the elf, wondering if he was going to do anything to get them to see Marth, but when Link seemed as interested in the magazine as Carl he cleared his throat. "_Not_ for the S.F.B.I."

"S.F.B.I. eh?" Carl looked up from the magazine, his green eyes meeting with his. It was clear he would've rather been at home, reading the magazine he loved so much in an old armchair. "S.F.B.I. sure has some fancy officers."

The redhead took his wallet from his pocket and opened it for him, showing his I.D. "Yes. Now I want to see him."

Carl looked at the I.D. for a while, a smile curving on his lips. Chuckling, he gave the wallet back and nodded towards the end of the hall. "Just tell Jerry you want to see him."

"Thank you", Link said with a smile. "And are you going to eat that sandwich?"

Roy looked at the elf with a disgusted face. He wouldn't touch Carl, not even with gloves and much less eat a sandwich from the trash he had been eating.

Carl looked at him, then at the thrash can. "Rarely from the _trash_."

"Can I…?"

"Sure." Carl shuffled to the trashcan and picked it up, holding it high enough for Link to reach to the sandwich on the bottom.

As they walked towards the door, Roy asked: "Are you seriously going to eat that?"

"Yeah, I'm hungry."

The redhead made a disgusted noise in his throat. He could feel a wave of nausea passing through him. "And he might've spat on that sandwich."

"Mm, sexy." Link joked.

The other clerk let them through without any trouble. He seemed very tired and bored with his work, but it didn't come as a surprise to the two.

A brisk young officer brought Marth to the room where they met. It was only a small white room with a large mirror on the other wall. There was an old table with two chairs in the middle of the room. If there had been even something on the walls it wouldn't have looked so much like a jail cell. The noble smiled sweetly as he sat down. It was as if he had been in a bathhouse and looked like he had become a completely new person. Both Link and Roy knew that it was nothing but a mask the noble wore to hide his real feelings about the prison.

"Hello." He said calmly, giving them a smile.

Roy threw his hands in the air. "Who did this to you?"

Marth smiled at the redhead, leaning his head a bit. "I think Vyse's parents filed a missing person's report on him."

"How can they do such a thing?" The redhead walked a tiny circle in his frustration, looking a bit funny.

"Vyse ran away. They must've been worried sick." The noble answered fondly. It still felt so unbelievable that Vyse had run away from home for him. He blamed himself a bit for not thinking about the consequences back then, but the moments he had spent with Vyse after that made up for that.

"I'll go talk to them and make sure they drop the charges against you!" Roy declared, hitting the table with his hands. "No one treats my friends like this!"

"Maybe you should go outside for a while to cool off." Link said, putting a friendly hand on his shoulder.

"I DON'T NEED to cool off!" The redhead glared at the Hylian. He had all the rights to be mad at Vyse's parents for what they had done to Marth.

Link chuckled and stole a kiss from him right in front of Marth, making him turn bright red. He knew it made the redhead blush, calming down came as a side effect from embarrassment. Without a word Roy ran into the corridor.

Chuckling, Link sat down, but his smile died almost instantly.

"Marth…" He looked at his hands in his lap. At that moment he prayed Vyse had told Marth because he didn't want to ruin their perfect relationship. He knew he did the right thing yet he knew he did wrong when putting his nose into other people's businesses.

"Yes?" The noble's happy tone wasn't there anymore.

Link took a deep breath, it wasn't easy telling the noble what he had seen. Assuming he hadn't told him. "I …know this is a bad time, but… did Vyse tell you anything last night?"

Marth's eyes widened. In a flash he was standing, clenching his fists. The chair he had been sitting on fell over with a few metallic clanks. He managed to get a hold of himself just before taking a hold of Link and shaking him. Surprised by how easily he had lost control when it had been about Vyse he slowly backed up with an apologising smile.

"Have you two _done _something?" He asked as he lifted up his chair.

"N-no!" Link said, he had noticed Marth's rare fury. And it had been even more unpleasant than what he had expected. "I love Roy!"

He knew if Roy had seen him he would've glared at him. It didn't make him feel any better.

"Then what? How come you both know something I don't?" Marth's tone had changed drastically.

"Uh… This is really none of my business, but Marth… I saw Vyse accepting money from Peach in Pyri Park just a few weeks ago… Yesterday I confronted him and told him to tell you what had really happened."

The noble looked at him with curiosity mixed in fear. "…Why was he accepting money from Peach?"

Link felt really uneasy under the cobalt gaze. He just wanted to disappear. "It …seems that he was supposed to seduce me to make Roy hate me. That way she would've made sure that Roy would be hers forever."

"But he didn't do it, did he?" Marth began to relax a little, but the gaze of his eyes made the Hylian avoid eye contact.

"No. He says he thought that he was supposed to seduce you… but when you told him about me and Roy he didn't want to lose you anymore."

Marth heaved a relieved sigh, leaning back in his chair. "Thank God."

Link tried to think of something to say, but there wasn't anything that would've fit the situation. When he glanced at the noble he smiled at him, it seemed almost as if none of the words had been said. But he still felt like a nosy bastard.

"Can I ask you something, Link?" The noble broke the uneasy silence between them.

"Yeah, go on."

"Could you tell Vyse I'd like to see him before I get sent away to the state prison?"

"Of course." Link smiled. "Just give me his address and I'll tell him."

Marth smiled thankfully as he told him the address, a glint of happiness glowing in his eyes. He exited the room shortly after that, noticing how quiet the corridor was. If Roy had been there it surely wouldn't have been quiet. Had he been removed because he had been so aggressive? And why had he acted like that?

He walked past the counter on his way out, nodding thankfully to Carl for the sandwich. It had been amazingly delicious to be made by such a gross man. The redhead was outside, standing next to a very old Trabant, looking into it with a focused expression.

"Did they throw you out?" Link asked jokingly.

Roy didn't bother to answer. He just looked into the car as if he was deep in thought.

"Roy?"

"Hm?" The boy had noticed him, but wasn't probably even listening.

"Why are you here?" Link tried anyway.

"…This is my father's car." Roy fixed his eyes on Link's although it seemed very hard.

"Do you want to go back in to look for him?"

The redhead looked at it, for only one second his calmness was about to crumble when he thought of himself as a four-year-old, sitting on the front seat, chatting happily with him and hoping that the ride to the kindergarten would last forever. Back then he had still thought he had been loved. "… No. Let's just go."

Link managed to persuade Roy to come over for the night. But the redhead insisted that he would sleep on the couch, otherwise he would walk home. Link agreed to that, mostly because the boy was cranky from not getting Marth free. Maybe the Trabant also had something to do with his crankiness.

When Link woke up it was still dark. His clock hadn't rung and when he checked it the time was only 4:33. Surprised that he'd wake up in the middle of the night he got up to go to the bathroom just to be sure. Maybe he was just excited and scared of Young Link coming back home the next day. He had no idea what to do to make life easier for his younger self, he knew Young Link had some kind of a depression going on but he was fighting it with studying and occupying himself. Still, there would be a moment when he'd blame him for not making him use the helmet.

He sighed as he walked to the living room, finding Roy sitting on the couch under his blanket and watching advertisement on television. The sound was turned on mute and the images from the screen coloured the whole room with different colours, flashing like in a discotheque.

"Can't sleep?" He asked as he rubbed his eyes. The light from the television was too bright.

"No… I just… don't want to see…" Roy said the last word, _nightmares_, so quietly that Link didn't hear it. He didn't want him to hear it, but he couldn't leave him without an answer to his insomnia either.

Link came sitting next to Roy and put his arm around him, hugging him gently. "Come and sleep with me."

The redhead blushed and looked away from him. "I told you…"

"Yeah, I know." Link admitted with a sigh. At least he had tried. And although he knew he had to let go some day he still only pulled Roy into a hug. It wouldn't matter was it that day or the next, his feelings would never change. Even if he ever got another boyfriend he would still see dreams of the redhead. He just wouldn't feel him there.

He sat there with him in silence until Roy fell asleep against his shoulder. He had been warm, just before he had fallen asleep he had snuggled closer to his warmth, tugging at the blanket weakly with his other hand. Link had helped it on him and he had fallen asleep with a smile without any trouble at all. To Link it hadn't been easy letting him fall asleep there. Knowing that he had kissed him many times before made him want those kisses twice as badly, a tiny devilish voice in his head whispering to him how he would get away with it. But he had had to abstain himself. Kissing Roy would've been the worst mistake he could've done because it could've led to making love and if they had done that the redhead would've never wanted to see him again.

When the redhead was sound asleep he lifted him up gently and carried him to his bedroom, thinking very ironic thoughts. Roy was his, they were spending _his_ wedding night together like a real married couple, but they just weren't married. It was so sad it was almost funny. He put the redhead on his bed, covering him gently with a blanket before hurrying to the living room to turn off the television before joining him.

Roy woke up with a long yawn as the clock rang. As he noticed Link there, sleeping next to him he blushed and got quickly, mumbling something about breakfast. Gladly he was still wearing his underwear, that ruled out all the suspicious activities between them last night. Somehow he still felt sad, like he had almost expected the elf to kiss him on the couch last night and given him even some tiny happiness into his sea of sorrow. Maybe Link had just finally let go of him, turned towards Chill who was probably more than eager to jump in bed with him. Psyching himself with thoughts like those didn't make him feel as good and independent as he had hoped for them to do.

Link opened one eye lazily looking after him. It was no use getting up, pulling him down because he wouldn't stay down. He would only wake him up and the bed wouldn't feel so comfortable and inviting any more.

"Link, we have to go to work in fifteen minutes." The redhead's warm hand touched his arm. For a while he wanted to ask him to touch some other places as well, but Roy's tone wasn't exactly friendly to those.

Link turned around with a heavy sigh, shaking off the hand trying to wake him.

"Link, come on, wake up." It was there again, this time on his shoulder.

"Not yet." He managed to say, wanting to grab the redhead and pull him back down. Then he would give him some special treatment and-

"We _need _to go to work."

Link cursed in his mind. He wouldn't even let him oversleep and fantasize. "…Later then."

Roy shook him hard with both hands. "Get up _now_!"

"I'll get up with a kiss." Link rolled to his back, opening his eyes a little. The saying 'let sleeping dogs lie' passed his mind.

The redhead rolled his eyes with a sigh. "I don't have the time to go and buy you a _fish_ now."

Link let out a tired laugh. "It won't kill you."

"We should already be on our way." Roy tried to change the subject. He wanted to kiss Link, but he couldn't. He was married, he was having a child and it wasn't appropriate of a father-to-be to be kissing other men.

"I've never seen you that excited to go to work… and see Chill." The Hylian buried his face to the pillow to hide the devilish smile on his lips. The redhead would get mad at him for saying that even without seeing the smile.

Roy bit his lower lip. That proved Link knew why he didn't like the silver-haired boy and used it as a weapon against him. He snorted, grabbing Link's face roughly, turning it to him and kissing him. The elf had expected for a romantic kiss, but what he got was more like kissing a violent statue.

"Fine, fine, I'll get up." He pushed Roy away. In the back of his mind he felt really weird, maybe because they had just switched tables. "Let's just go to work."

Chill walked to the headquarters with a smile. He had wanted Link to see that article to realise that he had once been different. He knew the elf was a curious and straightforward person who would get interested in an article like that. And if he were interested, he would want to be with him more.

Chill walked to the office, putting the clue on the table. The two had just arrived and he could feel his heart grating. If they had come to work at the same time it could only mean one thing: they had spent the night together. Chill snorted angrily, sitting down in the chair with a fierce look in his eyes, hoping that Roy would accidentally hurt himself somehow.

"_Under the gentle eyes of a son's protective wings_." He said indifferently.

This time it didn't have a time. That meant the murderer was already planning his next murder. Or who knew? He might've already done it. Maybe they were too far behind and would never catch him. Chill could feel despair trying to take a hold of him but pushed it away; he was a mastermind, he if anyone could catch a murderer.

"Son's protective wings?" Link said incredulously, glancing at the clue on the table like it was the famous Pandora's box. "Makes me think of some Godly things, but I do--"

"The cathedral! There's a painting on the ceiling of Jesus looking down and lots of angels. It _HAS _to be it!" Roy said, jumping to his feet. He wouldn't have thought of it without the elf linking the Son and wings together with God. Now that he had done it, it seemed like such an easy clue.

In a flash they were in the car, Roy took the driver's place and Link sat to the backseat with Chill. As the redhead drove out of the parking lot, his eyes focused on the busy traffic, listening to car horns, angry shouts, sirens somewhere in the distance. The street was crowded with cars of all colours. A family Sedan drove right in front of them, two children on the backseat fighting ferociously. One reckless pedestrian crossed the road right in front of a brand new BMW with a young driver really stepping on it.

Chill sat quietly, watching the traffic as well. He knew Link was thinking. He had seen the article; he had to be interested in it. It was just a matter of time when he would ask him about it. If he played his cards right then the elf would be his. If Link had glanced at him then, he would've seen a genuine smile on his face, lingering there for only a few seconds before it disappeared.

But Link was too occupied with his own thoughts to notice the boy. He was thinking about the murderer and preparing mentally for some kind of a situation at the cathedral. The murderer had killed a man with a screwdriver; he could be able of even gruesome and cunning ways to kill his victims after escalating like Roy had put it. He was also worried about Young Link, knowing the boy would get out of the hospital soon and if he kept studying and keeping himself busy like that it might keep his mind off his blindness but eventually he would exhaust himself, mentally and physically.

And of course, most of all he was worried about Roy. He looked like he was all right, but he wasn't. He couldn't sleep or control his temper. During the time he had worked with him he had noticed how dramatically the redhead's temper had lengthened in his company, but at the police station last night he had seen it all decline.

Roy parked the car, jumping out of it quickly. Chill was the first at the wooden doors, trying to push them open but he didn't have the strength to do it. Link pushed them open and the three entered the silent cathedral. Sunlight filtered inside through the massive stained glass windows, giving the cathedral a peaceful and somehow holy atmosphere.

It was quiet. So quiet that Roy started to suspect he had made the wrong conclusion about the clue. What if the murderer hadn't meant the cathedral? But the Son of God was looking down at them with tranquillity only he could have; the ceiling was full of tiny angels flying around in its fake sky. He couldn't think of another place matching the description in the clue.

An elderly woman wearing a purple dress was sitting in the front seat, looking down into her lap. Maybe she was praying.

"Excuse me?" Link took a step closer to her, the colourful light from one of the stained windows colouring him as well.

The elderly woman turned around with a smile. "Danny?" She asked.

"Granny?" Roy trotted to her. "Granny, you have to get out of here. It's very dangerous."

"Danny, I was just praying to the Lord to see you again. You haven't visited me in such a long time." Granny said with a smile. She had completely ignored what he had said.

"You should get out of here, Granny", Roy repeated with a more demanding tone. If the old lady wouldn't listen to him he would carry her out, even if it broke his back. Granny wouldn't become the next victim for the murderer, he didn't want her to be anywhere near a place where the murderer had threatened to kill.

"Why? Don't you want to be in God's house?"

"No, it's just that we have received a clue that someone might get hurt here today." Roy explained.

"G-get away from her!" A man wearing tights over his head stepped over the altar. Otherwise he was wearing a completely black tuxedo for some odd reason with a white tie.

He had obviously been waiting for the perfect moment. Why he came out now and not when Granny had been alone, Roy couldn't say. He could only guess the murderer was escalating to the point where he wanted to start showing off, prove that he could kill right under the authorities eyes and get away with it. He took a careful step back.

"Danny? Danny, who is this man?" Granny turned to look at him, her grey eyes wide.

Roy tried to smile encouragingly, not believing that it showed off his face. "Just stay calm."

"What is going on?"

"Be quiet." The man walked closer, lifting a gun with a silencer towards Granny.

Granny looked at the gun for a while in shock. "Youngsters these days…"

"_Thy restlessness shalt thy give up now_

_thou shan't sin anymore_

_Thine is the garden behind the Pearly Gates_

_If thy hath remorse_." The murderer said, aiming at Granny's heart.

"Please, she doesn't need to die." Roy tried. He took a careful step closer, holding his hands in front of him to show the man he wasn't armed. At the doors Chill hid behind Link, targeting at the man with his handgun. He had been practising shooting a long time and knew just how hard it was to hit a target that far away. If he shot, he would need to get a deadly shot with the first one. Otherwise the murderer could kill the old woman and Roy. Not that he cared about Roy, but it was his job to protect lives.

A bit left, only an inch above his chin and with a little bit of luck Chill would blow away his face. If he had no face he had no chance of hitting a target even if he shot. And with most probability he would fall down and die before hitting the floor. To keep his hands from shaking Chill lit a cigarette as quietly as he could. A little right. There. Now if Roy just moved a few steps back he would have a clear shot.

The redhead just took a step forward. Chill cursed quietly, hoping that he wouldn't need to blast a few holes into him to kill the murderer. However, sometimes one couldn't avoid casualties. He just hoped he would've had a powerful sniping gun, then he wouldn't need to waste those bullets on Roy because one bullet would pierce him and the murderer.

"Get back!" The murderer said, waving the gun at Roy. Obediently the redhead took a few steps back. Chill smiled devilishly, internally joking that maybe he and the murderer shared some kind of a psychic connection.

"Please, just let her go. Take me instead."

"What is it with youngsters these days…?" Granny mumbled to herself.

"Shut up!" The murderer took a step, ruining Chill's perfect shot. "If you say a word I'll fucking kill you all!"

Link stood extremely still. If he attracted the murderer's attention now that Chill was targeting he might get them both killed. Roy stood a lot closer to the murderer, holding his hands up, furiously thinking of what to do. It was extremely important not to aggravate the murderer now. Roy was afraid to even breathe. The wrong move could send him to the Pearly Gates way too early in his life.

The murderer looked at Granny, he hadn't probably even noticed Link and Chill. Roy followed his movement closely, hoping that something would happen before he would kill the old lady. Something. Anything.

"What…" Granny started, but her speech was interrupted by two shots. The first one went cleanly into her chest, the other sunk into the murderer's ear. There was a thud when the man fell down, a few panicking shouts and after that nothing more.

Roy rushed to Granny with a worried look on his face. Link glanced at Chill, but unlike he had expected, with fear. Maybe it was fear of losing her. Chill ran after him to the murderer, dialling 911 at the same time and explaining the situation. Half accidentally he stepped on the murderer's motionless arm while taking off the tights. He revealed the face of dear Mr. Connor, an engineer with a murdered son. Maybe his poor son had been his first victim. It reminded Chill of the event that had happened to him and he stepped on his arm with his full weight, hoping that he would feel a flashing pain.

The ambulance arrived soon after his call, announcing its arrival with the sirens. Granny was taken into the white van. While she was carried she kept repeating 'What is it with youngsters these days' like a chant. Roy followed her to the van with a worried expression. As it disappeared into the mass of other cars he sighed heavily. Link put a hand on his shoulder, smiling encouragingly:

"I think she's going to be all right."

"She's old. You never know."

Chill didn't feel like joining the conversation. He felt a little guilty that he had let something like that happen, but tried to convince himself that he hadn't had a clear shot before it had been too late. And even that shot, it had been inaccurate. Only luck had made him hit the man's ear so perfectly. Quietly he retreated into the car and at the same time, into his head. No one would ever know he was sorry for not being quick enough. But he would make sure he wouldn't do the same mistake twice, he would start training hard again the next day.

Link and Roy returned to the car, Roy ascertaining internally that he had been right. The man had been disturbed and believed he was freeing peopleof _restlessness. _But since they hadn't got him alive they would never know how he had chosen his victims and more importantly, how he had created a psychologic state like that.The redhead began driving towards the headquarters; they still had almost the whole day ahead of them. And already ruined.

* * *

I'll try to update _Gotta Glow_ too this week, but I can't promise anything (go ahead and read it, it won't bite) I've been very tired and I just haven't been able to write anything at all. 

Now I know. I need coffee.

Keeper: Coffee….

No, you idiot.

Keeper: Oh… Tasty…

That's more like it. Anyway, thanks for reading and ARGH! No, Keeper! _AAAAAAAHHH!_


	41. Parliamo al Singolare Part 01 Only the

**5**

I'm back again!

We're finally here. This is the _last episode_ of the S.F.B.I. and to be honest, I have considered the possibility of a sequel. But I will not write it unless it's wanted. So if you want it, tell me and I'll considre

This episode, unlike the ones before it, will be dedicated to Diva. That's because she made me an amazing layout for my livejournal (check it out, the link is in my profile), came up with the idea for making me a community and the layout for that. She's also a great friend whom I cherish very much! This is the least I can do.

Oh and by the way, the music of _Creedence Clearwater Revival_ is GREAT. I used to think old music sucks just because it's old but these songs, they rock!

---

**EPISODE 09: Parliamo al Singolare Part 01 Only the Deaf Listen**

---

They had barely made it back to the headquarters when a young woman ran into their tiny office, her high-heels pattering against the floor in the corridor. She had fairly long, wavy dark blonde hair. She was wearing a black tiny top and jeans with a Gucci belt in them. She opened the door rapidly, letting it slam against the wall. A tiny Prada bag rested in her hand carelessly, the many bracelets on her wrist jingling as they hit each other.

"Why doesn't anyone listen to me?" She glared at the three of them, getting ready to make herself heard.

Chill looked up from the papers he was reading. He was in a bad mood because Link hadn't given him the attention he had wanted for the articles he had so carefully placed on his table for the blonde. He was a curious person, how could he act so uninterested? He also knew that if he made a comment about them he would reveal his plan completely. He just had to wait. He would catch the fish one day. Meanwhile, he could amuse himself by annoying Roy:

"He does that for a profession, being a psychiatrist. If you believe in that kind of stuff." Chill said with an uninterested face, nodding towards Roy.

The girl looked at him incredulously at first as if she had been expecting them to turn her away before she had even started telling them what had happened. With a grateful smile she trotted to the redhead. "Look, I have a hunch that--"

"I'm sorry, miss, but hunches aren't handled here." Roy said politely, turning her around. "If you want protection or something like that I suggest you go to the nearest precinct. We only handle murder cases here."

She shook his hands off her. "There _will _be a murder case soon if no one helps me!"

Link put his papers down with a faked interest: "Tell us. We'll see what we can do."

"Finally someone!" The girl said, taking the nearest chair and sitting down without needing to ask. Quickly she went through her bag, pulled out a tiny mirror and checked her make-up before starting to speak. "I've been to the precinct like at least a hundred times, finally they told me to go to the NSA but no, they told me come here and you're just _pushing _me back to the precinct!"

Chill sighed, lifting his feet on the table. "Feel free to get to the point if there _is_ one."

She glared at him for a while, narrowing her eyes, looking like a lion getting ready to attack its prey. "Anyway, I'm Dionne and I and my partner are trying to get a child. We have been looking for a dad for our child _forever_ and now that we've finally found a potential man, these hate letters have started to rain down to our mailbox."

She kept a tiny pause, waiting for sympathy but none came.

"So at first they were… only unpleasant. But ever since Aisha got pregnant, it has all got worse. They've thre-"

"Whoa, wait. Aisha is your partner?" Link cut her off, looking at her. He could at least fake interest when the two others acted like they would rather swim with hungry crocodiles than listen to pointless ranting. He could understand their lack of interest, but it wasn't fair to ignore a person in need even if one's morning had started off with murder.

"Yup. She's a real hottie. You should see her." Dionne said, brushing back a few hairs hanging on her face with a smug smile. "But anyway, recently we've got these letters with death threats and warnings about a new Ku-Klux Klan, all this just because we're a couple and Aisha happens to be dark skinned."

"Look, Dionne… I'm sorry." The elf said with an apologising smile. "We can't do anything unless someone's _killed_."

Dionne almost growled. "And then you call yourselves officers? You say you _protect _us citizens as best as you can? Just for your information, _officer_, you can't protect the dead!"

Chill got up; he had just about had enough. "I call myself an officer because I have the right to put mad, trek cows like you behind bars. Now leave before I rip your head off and have my cereals from your skull." He sat back down, watching Dionne's shocked expression from the corner of his eye as he picked up the papers he had been going through. Link didn't really like the mental image he got from that, but somehow he believed Chill was ready to do it if he threatened to do so. Although he was small, he was somehow very frightening when he was angry. Maybe it was just the glare of those icy eyes, but it sure worked on everyone.

Dionne snorted as she turned around. "It's YOUR fault if she dies then."

She exited the office and closed the door behind her with a bang. The pencils on the table rolled to the floor and clattered as they hit it. They could hear her angry steps even through the closed door. When it suddenly became quiet they knew she had left the building.

"…Like I had a conscience." Chill ascertained flatly.

There was a brief silence. Link knew Roy wouldn't say anything to Chill because they didn't get along too well. So it was up to him to say something, he plucked up some courage and sighed as the words spilled from his mouth: "You could've even faked interest."

"I need to do that enough at home, so no thanks." Roy answered to him, his back towards them.

Silence again. The shooting and Granny getting hurt earlier had definitely affected their moods. Link sighed again as he focused on the paperwork he still had to do before getting to go home. It was boring, but only a small part of the job. Soon someone would run to the office and give them a new case. Then they could drop the paperwork off at the clerk in the main hall and ask for someone else to do it.

"I'm going to take a break." Chill stood up, the chair he had been sitting on whined quietly as his weight was lifted off of it.

Roy didn't even notice him. Or then he was just acting like he wasn't. Link smiled internally because if Chill left the office for a break he could get some time alone with the redhead. Although he was married to a pregnant woman Link couldn't help hoping for those quiet moments alone in the office when he had been able to grab the redhead and kiss him without any regrets.

Chill had almost exited the office when he glanced over his shoulder with a devilish smile: "Would you mind accompanying me, Link?"

Link sighed, but smiled back at him. He didn't want the midget to have his cereals from his skull. And having a little time alone with him would give him a good chance to ask him about the articles he had seen on his desk. "Not at all."

His eyes met with Roy's as he left the office, but the redhead turned his face away before he could even flash him a comforting smile.

They walked to the parking slot, the bright sun almost blinding them. It was wonderfully warm. Link shaded his eyes with his hand while Chill stood with his back towards the sun. Without a word Chill took a smoke and lit it, inhaling the smoke with great pleasure.

Link hesitated a moment before he asked: "…Do those turn your hair white?" He hoped Chill understood he was referring to the picture he had seen of him where he had had those large mocha brown eyes with brown hair. He couldn't help his curiosity; he wanted to know what had happened to make him turn from a brunette to an ice sculpture.

Chill chuckled. He had known Link would ask him someday. "…Sometimes." Now that the fish had taken the bait he needed to be extremely careful to reel it in. If he acted a little mysterious he would only agitate Link's curiosity.

"Did they do it for you?" The elf obediently swallowed his baits one by one.

"What makes you think I want to talk about my past?" Chill cleverly retreated, knowing Link would follow eagerly like Hansel and Gretel followed the trail of breadcrumbs. "Didn't I tell you earlier I'd break your neck if you asked about it again?"

"I can't help thinking about it." Link said absent-mindedly, looking at the traffic outside the parking lot. It still looked like a mess although the worst traffic hours were over. "…I saw those articles on your table."

Chill covered his mouth with his hand to hide the victorious smile tugging at his lips. "Slander." Just a bit more and Link would be his. If he never told him the full truth, only threw in a few clues every now and then he would easily keep him in his grip forever.

Link fixed his eyes on his, looking at him with a questioning gaze. He thirsted for more. "But why did they interrogate you? Why did they think you did it? Why were you the only suspect ever?"

So many questions. Chill ruminated the smoke for a while, enjoying his power before answering. "I never got along with that teacher. I was the only one."

"Did he make you change?" Link was delighted. Chill was opening up to him. He couldn't hide the excited smile spreading on his lips; the boy was letting him into his life. So far he had thought Chill would keep his memories and thoughts to himself, but it seemed that he was only a human as well and needed someone to talk to.

Link swallowed nervously. He didn't know if he wanted to be that someone who listened to Chill because he loved Roy. Being friendly towards Chill only pulled him and Roy farther apart from each other.

"Robert Gallagher said once that change is inevitable. Except from a vending machine." The boy said mysteriously, dropping the smoke to the ground and stepping on it. He walked back inside as if he had been talking about the weather, calm and collected; cool as ice, leaving Link wondering even harder.

Link knew he shouldn't have left it the middle of work, but he had promised Marth to take his message to Vyse so he quietly sat into the car and started the engine. It came to life with a joyous hum, the radio messing with the channels until it found a nice one. Link rolled down the window, letting in the hot air. Inside the car was like an inferno. Vyse would need to thank him on his knees for being suicidal enough to start driving in the hottest hour of the day.

He parked the car carelessly on the pavement and he walked to the door of Vyse's house. It was a nice suburban row house made during the early industrialisation and thus very tiny. It was probably just perfect for Vyse's small family. For a while he thought about what to say to sound as official as possible, then rang the doorbell. A woman in her forties opened the door, her eyes looking at him tiredly. Her beautiful brown hair lay on her head like a dead animal. Vyse was obviously giving them a hard time for separating him from his lover.

"Hello, I wonder if Vyse is at home?"

The woman was pushed away by a man who looked a bit like the brunette. "Get away from me son, ya queers!" and slammed to door shut. He could hear Dyne swear through the door: "Even on weekends, those bastards…"

For a while Link only blinked. He burst to laugh, unable to hold it back. He had seen all kinds of homophobia in his life, but hating _every _man for his son's queerness was a bit too much. Link wiped off the tears from his eyes before he rang the doorbell again.

"I said; leave me son alone! What part of it ya can't understand?" Dyne stuck his head out, looking at him fiercely. If he had been Roy, he would've kissed him but kissing Dyne in such a situation wouldn't have been such a good idea.

"I'm with the S.F.B.I." Link said calmly, holding back laughter.

"The S.F.B.I.?" He could hear the woman say in a surprised way. "Vyse, come downstairs! There's an officer here!"

Dyne opened the door cautiously, looking at Link all the time like a preying animal. "Is this another 'gig', Vyse?" He asked incredulously from his son coming down the stairs, his flaming eyes fixed on Link's.

"No, I do not love your son." Link chuckled. "I would like to interrogate him about what has happened."

Anina rushed to the door and pushed Dyne away. "Of course. How long will it take to interrogate him?"

"Until we get the truth." Link answered, smiling at her.

Anina glanced at her son; he was just as surprised as she was to see an officer at their door. "I'm sure he tells the truth. Can ya bring him home after it?"

"Of course." He nodded to Vyse, who almost bolted past him towards the car. He had probably realised what was the actual reason for taking him to the precinct. Dyne didn't probably let him leave the house. Before Link left he smiled at the surprised parents and advised them: "Mr. and Mrs. Miller, this kind of behaviour will not be tolerated by all of our officers. Please try to retain."

He sat to the driver's seat, an ecstatic young boy sitting next to him. Vyse was almost bouncing. He had already changed the channel on the radio and opened his window. "Ya must've seen Marth, how is he? Does he miss me? Where is he? Is he suffering?"

Link smiled as he started the engine. "Calm down. He's fine. He just misses you a lot."

The brunette kept bouncing. A though passed Link's mind, if the seatbelt wouldn't have been holding Vyse to the seat he would've probably bounced all over the car. "I miss him too! Did he blame what happened on me?"

"No. He blamed himself for being so careless."

Vyse smiled happily. "That's so Marth."

"Yeah, it is." Link answered. "When we go to the precinct, try to act as calm as possible. We don't want to stand out in case your parents come to the precinct… they wouldn't be too happy to hear about your and Marth's romantic rendezvous."

"I'll be like I wasn't there." Vyse smiled, wiping his hands in his jeans, they were probably sweating a lot. He was very excited. Link couldn't blame him for loving Marth so unconditionally, he knew if he had a home to go to where Roy would be welcoming him, he would bounce all the way home, singing as he went.

He took the brunette past Carl, who nodded at him and Jerry, who was reading a rather naughty magazine. Neither of them asked any questions. Link let the brunette into the room and nodded to Marth, telling him without words that he would gladly let them have some time alone.

Marth stood in the other end of the arid room, holding his hands together. His eyes were as tender as ever, the poor jail cells hadn't managed to break his poise. His mouth curved into a very controlled smile as their eyes met.

Vyse couldn't stay abstained. At first his legs were about to give in, then he felt like he was suffocating. He was hot and cold and trembling and shaking. Was he fainting, he didn't know. But when he made it to Marth's arms, he entered heaven. He wrapped his arms around him, pressing him close, squeezing him. He gave him a few rough kisses every now and then, nearly crying.

Marth held him against him, breathing unevenly. He couldn't believe Vyse would defy his parents again and come to see him after all that had happened. His father had been furious. How had Link even managed to get him without getting involved in a huge fight? He closed his eyes, smelling Vyse's fresh scent, his hair smelled like fruits. He had probably used his mother's shampoo. Marth ran a hand down his back, stopping before his hand would've sneaked into the brunette's pants. That room wasn't a good place to even suggest those kinds of activities. He not only loved that body, but most of all the person inside it.

"Marth… Marth… I missed you so much…" Vyse whispered like a chant into his hear. His hot breaths tingled in Marth's sacrum.

"I missed you too." He whispered back, giving him a kiss on his hair.

"I'm so sorry for everything… for what my parents… they don't understand!" Vyse clung onto him tighter as if they were soon going to be separated by death.

"It's all right, everything's going to be all right." Marth said, not knowing what else to say. If he was going to prison everything wasn't going to be all right. But he couldn't kill Vyse's hope. He couldn't kill his own either.

"I hope… I hope so. What are they charging ya with?"

"…Statutory rape." He sighed.

Vyse let go of him, looking at him with a puzzled look. "I'll be eighteen in a few weeks and they're charging ya with that?"

"They can charge me with that as long as you're a minor."

"But… can I get a sentence too?"

"I don't think so." Marth continued in his thoughts: _As long as I make it my entire fault you're safe._

Vyse pressed closer, drawing a few quick breaths. "That's unfair."

Marth didn't know what to answer. The brunette was right. His only crime was falling in love with a minor, he had never done anything to Vyse that would've hurt him or been against his will. He had loved him from the bottom of his heart and he was _rewarded_ with a sentence for raping a minor. Praise the laws!

The only thing he could think of was to kiss Vyse, let him know he loved him and he would be thinking about him all the time in prison. He cupped the brunette's cheek, gazed into his nougat eyes, wondering why he had fallen in love with him so completely in such a short time. Before he could say anything, Vyse grabbed his head while locking their lips together.

When their lips parted, the brunette looked at his lover with a brisk smile: "I know _exactly_ what to do!"

Before Marth could ask what it was that he had come up with, the brunette had left the room. The door slammed shut by itself, the aridness of the room returning now that the brisk spot of colour had disappeared. He stood there for a long time, hoping he wouldn't do anything he hadn't thought through.

Meanwhile Roy had called Link to come back to work and he had left a message to Carl about leaving. They went to see a crime scene of a murder, but the victim had probably killed himself. That meant they didn't get a new case and had to continue doing the boring paperwork.

After work Link drove to the hospital. As he killed the engine he took a deep breath. This was it. Young Link was coming home. No matter how Roy had told him it hadn't been his fault, he couldn't stop blaming himself. He hadn't made the tiny boy use a helmet. If he had just seen it coming. But he wasn't psychic.

What had happened had happened. It was no use crying over spilt milk.

He got out of the car, forcing himself to smile. He was Young Link's supporting column and he would need to be the one who stood tall and strong when Young Link wanted to quit. He was his role model; now staying positive was his first priority.

A doctor walked Young Link to him, the boy's cerulean eyes staring emptily in front of him. In his other hand he held a book for the blind, he was probably going to occupy himself with that. But what after he finished reading it? He couldn't go to the cinema, for a walk alone, play videogames, do none of the things he had liked so much to do. Link wanted to cry as he gently embraced him, telling him how happy he was that he was coming home.

When they came home Young Link walked directly into his room. He knew the apartment so well that he could move there without needing to see. He took all of his movies and games, crying a little as he carried them on his bed. He took the book for the blind he had read in the hospital into his arms and pressed it tightly against his tiny chest, trying to stay positive but the tears wouldn't stop rolling down his cheeks, forming tiny rivers, the salty drops tapping against the book he held in his arms. He would never be able to watch the Lion King or Aladdin again, he would never be able to play Mario or Sonic again.

"Link." He called when he was finished, his voice quivering.

The older elf appeared at his door, looking at him with a sad gaze. He knew what Young Link was about to tell him and there was nothing he could tell him to comfort him. Silently he walked next to his bed and sat down, pulling the tiny elf into his hug. Young Link burst to tears, trying to talk but he hushed him. Slowly they would get used to his blindness, they would learn to live with it and Young Link would smile again.

Roy came home as late as he could. He had tried to get stuck in a traffic jam, but had had no luck. Even all the traffic lights had been green. It seemed as if everything wanted him to go home to his pregnant wife, suffer the whole evening and sleep next to her, hoping that her swollen body was Link's muscular one.

He dragged himself to the door, pressing the doorbell. There was quiet swearing before the door was opened. Peach's mouth curved into a smile when she saw him. Roy gave her a vague smile as he sailed past her into the apartment. He could see she had been bored during the day; she had curled her hair and put it differently than normally, wore a new make-up. He sure hoped she wasn't in the mood for making love.

"I made food." She said with a smile.

Roy gave her another fake smile. "That's great. What did you make?"

"Pea soup!"

"Wh…" Roy looked at her with wide eyes. "What?"

"I made pea soup." Peach said. "You don't know how long I fought with the can!"

Roy couldn't help feeling disappointed. His wife had been home all day when he had been earning money and what had she made? Pea soup. For a moment he wanted to spit her in the face, turn around and leave. But he couldn't do that to his wife. He would need to stay positive and happy for his unborn child.

"Well, then. Let's eat."

During the whole meal he could remember how he had ate with Link in Cosworth Street. Although a man, Link had made a lot better food, maybe because he had had to study cooking for Young Link. In his mind he hoped he could turn back time, return to those days when he hadn't met Peach solving that hostage case, hadn't seen that kiss between Marth and Link, hadn't taken her out and got drunk enough to sleep with her. Life seemed so unfair. He would be paying for that one fatal mistake for the rest of his life.

"Roy…" Peach woke him up from his thoughts. "…When I look into your eyes, all I see is love."

"When I look into your eyes, I can't help seeing your face as well." Roy answered, regretting it immediately.

The next day didn't start off too well. After listening to horrible accusations all night the redhead hadn't been able to fall asleep before three in the morning. His mind had been so occupied with all the pain and hope he felt. At work, his tiredness showed from his face even if he tried to hide it as best as he could.

"Had a rough night?" Link asked casually. He was the only one in the office, bored with the paperwork already.

Roy sighed as he sat down. "Where's Chill?"

"He went to look for some old case report… Didn't say much." The blonde answered, trying to sound as uninterested as possible.

"I…" Roy tried to say what had happened, but it wasn't Link's business. He didn't need to worry about his problems; he had enough of them for himself already. "I just didn't sleep that well."

"On the couch?"

Roy glared at the Hylian. "What was that supposed to me--"

Dionne walked into the office with a pack of Kleenex in her hand. She was crying. The bold, confident and defiant girl was gone, replaced with a broken doll. She sat down on the chair opposite to them as she burst to tears all over again:

"I told you bastards. I told you. Now you better find out who killed Nehanda! Chika is in ruins!"

Roy looked at her with compassion: "There has been a murder?"

"Yes!" Dionne sniffled. She was obviously trying to be strong.

"Where?"

"In their apartment. On 213 Gonersia Street. There's blood _everywhere_!" She cried, taking another Kleenex to dry her tears. Her green eyes searched for compassionate arms to hug her. "…If… you won't do anything right now, Aisha will be the next to die! And if she dies… I will _kill _each and every one of you with my bare hands!"

Chill walked into the office, noticing Dionne. With a smile he asked: "Do we have cereals?"

---

Thanks for reading again! You know how much I love your reviews! Awww... don't be shy now. I won't bite. Unless you're tasty...


	42. Parliamo al Singolare Part 02 All Tingl

To be honest, I have considered the possibility of a sequel. In case you're interested, say it in your reviews.

So far** 2** have wanted a sequel.

I SAW RAMMSTEIN LIVE LAST FRIDAY! God, I'm still shaking, it was so awesome! They had everything from rockets to flamethrowers and from boilers to fire! At one point the whole stage was on fire! -melts away-

Researcher: She obsessed.

Before I get to answering the reviews, I want to make an important announcement:

Dear **Ghostreaders.** Please review my stories. Nothing is more frustrating than knowing there are people reading my stories who don't give a damn how much hard work just one chapter needs. Reviewing is caring. It's showing me you want to help me improve the story and want to see more of it. I know some of you will still continue to read my stories without reviewing and I feel frustrated just thinking about it. Whatever it is you're afraid about reviewing, get over it. Don't be a jerk. If you don't want me to answer your reviews, say it. Thank you.

There. I hope now all those lurkers will join the happy side! Yay! I am really not that scary once you get used to my naïveté and craziness (which is very hard).

One more thing! (God, my author's notes always get so long) This is my first time experimenting on yuri… nothing too explicit though, since I know some of you want it clean and simple.

**EPISODE 09: Parliamo al Singolare Part 02 All Tingly Inside**

---

"I raped him!"

Carl spit out his coffee in the back room. He had been in the force for thirty years and this was the first time a rapist was reporting himself.

He got up from his chair scratching his belly as he walked lazily to the desk. The stubble on his chin itched so he scratched it as well. He was a man who scrathed when someplace itched, wherever it itched and whenever it itched. He put his hands on the desk, looking at the young boy with curiosity, sighing as he did so. He surely didn't look like a rapist wearing such fashionable clothes, each piece of clothing carefully chosen from the closet. The nougat eyes were still the innocent eyes of a child, full of life and energy. He was no rapist. Why was he claming to be one?

"Raped who?" Carl asked. From the coffee room behind him the delicious smell of coffee floated into the hall accompanied by the quiet banging and shouting from the western movie on television.

"Marth. Marth Lowell. Held in custody here." Vyse said enthusiastically, knowing that his plan was going to work. No one could prove him wrong since no one knew what they had truly done.

"Oh… you're that boy from earlier." Carl said, yawning. Funny how some victims of rapes fell in love with the rapists.

"Yes! I want to come clean! I am a rapist and I raped him. He didn't even _touch_ me!" Vyse said, tapping the table nervously. Lie or not, he would save Marth. He was a minor; he wouldn't need to face a sentence as cruel as Marth's would be.

"Are you sure?" Carl looked at him. "If you raped him or you lie you'll face a _sentence_."

Vyse hesitated. The man knew he was lying. "I …raped him. I already said so."

"Well, _maybe_ you should say _again_. Just to let me hear it loud and clear. Are you willing to _save a rapist_ and _go to prison_ so that _he can continue raping people_?"

"He is _no_ rapist!" Vyse glared at him. Carl didn't know Marth; he couldn't accuse and despise him of something he hadn't done. "He is the most sweet and caring person _I _know!"

"Whatever you say." Carl sighed. Teenagers were a bunch of people he had never learned to understand. They made spontaneous decisions and were extremely stubborn once they made their mind. They were ready to jump into a well just because their friends did so too. And they were unbelievably passionate about love. Every crush and infatuation was the true love, the one their hearts chose. "Would you stay here while I get my handcuffs? You're under arrest."

"I don't need ones. I won't try to escape." Vyse smiled heartily. "Just release Marth."

"Well, fine. Just leave me alone." Carl said, looking directly into his eyes. He couldn't understand how that mind worked. How on Earth had he fallen in love with his rapist? "Jerry over there will take you to the cell."

Vyse trotted to Jerry and told him the same thing he had told to Carl, only to get the same incredulous reaction. He answered it with a smile since he knew there was nothing in his actions he could explain. If he told them he was doing it just to rid Marth of the charges they would both be convicted for only loving each other and that was wrong.

Jerry took him to the cell where Marth was, their steps echoing on the cold floor as they walked down the empty hallway. There were only two cells in the precinct, one on each side of the white hallway. When Vyse saw the doors of the cells, made of thick iron just like the doors of safes in banks, he hesitated. The hallway was so arid and the air so tense, he could only imagine what it would be like in a real prison. With cellmates. His walking slowed up, he didn't want to go to prison where he would probably be raped for real, beaten, jeered, maybe even killed if he said or did something that didn't please his 'friends'. Jerry cleared his throat to wake him up from his thoughts and he threw him a scared glance, he had been so confident about it but to see what it really was like made him feel weak and defenceless. Mart wasn't going to protect him in prison. Jerry smiled back to him encouragingly, hoping that the boy would take it all back and just walk home. He was ready to let him leave without any consequences. Vyse looked at him for a while, knowing that Jerry thought he wasn't able of doing such a thing. That he was too weak, his love wasn't powerful enough, his decisions weren't firm. He took a deep breath before he started walking again. He would do it all for Marth, this was his way of showing him he loved him more than anything.

Jerry opened the door with a pitying look in his eyes. Vyse smiled at him just to show him he knew what he was doing. When he looked into the cell his eyes met with Marth's, the noble looked at him with wide eyes, unable to believe what was happening.

"Vyse, what--"

"You're free to go." Jerry cut him off flatly, playing with the keys. Their quiet jingling echoed in the hallways and the cell, making the atmosphere slightly worse.

"W-what?" Marth stood up, looking at Vyse like he had just heard a bad joke.

Jerry grasped the keys, the jingling ended but the echoes stayed. "He confessed."

"To what?"

"I raped you!" Vyse declared with a happy smile.

"W-what?" Marth looked at Jerry with disbelief, then at Vyse who gave him a smile that would've replaced sunshine. He couldn't believe Vyse would go that far. He wasn't going to let him. "No, you didn't!"

Jerry flinched. What was going on?

"_I did!_" Vyse said, the smile dying on his face, begging for Marth's agreement with his eyes. He was not going to let him take the blame for not doing anything wrong.

"No, no, no, Vyse. You did _not_." Marth walked to Vyse and grasped his shoulders gently. He looked into his eyes with an accusing look as he said: "I'm not allowing you to take the blame!"

"What's going on here?" Jerry asked, running a nervous hand through his blonde hair.

Vyse looked at him confidently as he grabbed Marth shirt and said: "I raped him!"

"No, you did not!" The noble shook him off, turning his back to him. He couldn't let Vyse take the blame. He was too young to destroy his life with a criminal record.

Vyse threw his hands in the air, his voice gaining a more desperate tone. "Yeah, I did!"

"Don't you think you'd remember it if he had raped you…?" Jerry asked, suddenly having an odd feeling of interfering in a lovers' quarrel. But those two couldn't be lovers, a kidnapper and a wannabe-rapist.

Vyse turned to look at him, thinking for a while. He had no idea what to say. The victim of a rape would surely remember the rape. Unless..."No! Because I used… uh… laxatives!"

"What?" Both Marth and Jerry's jaws dropped.

The brunette looked at his feet, having a bad hunch that Jerry would drag him out and tell him to go home. Then there would be no way he could save Marth. "Oh… I guess that wasn't the anaesthetic's name after all…"

"Oh, God…" Marth slapped his forehead.

"Both of you stay here." Jerry said, still dumbstruck. He closed the door, leaving the two inside in silence. Vyse looked at Marth from under his eyebrows, looking for acceptance. Marth looked away from him, sighing heavily. There was a long and meaningful silence; Vyse could feel the noble's anger in the air. But he couldn't let him take the blame. Even if it broke them apart.

"You… are a fool." The noble said, he was trembling with the anger he felt. His plan had failed and now they could both get the blame.

"Ya're the fool to think I'd let _ya _suffer because of me!" Vyse threw his hands in the air again, looking at his beloved with a desperate expression. "Ya will be suspended from yer job, yer family and friends will start thinking badly of ya, ya will get a criminal record! I don't want to live with that on me conscience!"

Marth tried to look at Vyse fiercely, but his eyes wouldn't obey. Their gaze was so soft and understanding; he couldn't be mad at Vyse for trying to save him. He had totally ruined his plan, but what had been done had been done. There was nothing he could do about it anymore. "But I can't let you take the blame either."

"I was the one to cause this mess." The brunette explained.

"You did nothing wrong." Marth rejected his explanation.

Vyse took a step closer, his voice soft. "My parents did. And I'm not going to let them ruin yer life just because ya make me happy!"

The noble sighed again. Vyse was right. He couldn't argue back anymore. He spread his arms, inviting him into a hug and Vyse came, snuggling as close as he could. He pressed him gently closer, breathing his scent. Vyse's fingers grabbed his shirt tightly as if he was going to vanish if he wouldn't hold onto him like a burr.

"You do understand that if we get convicted we probably will not be sharing a jail cell? Prison… I don't even--"

Vyse put a hand on his mouth. "I don't want to hear. We're in this together now and if nothing else, me conscience is clean."

Marth smiled at him then. The boy he had found in a bar who had been on a mission from Peach to seduce Link and had mistakenly come home with him was willing to destroy his future with a criminal record only for their love. It was admirable. He kissed him, wondering when he would stop falling in love with him.

Elsewhere Roy walked into the tiny apartment, the normally dark beige walls were filled with splatters of blood. The zebra curtains had fallen and lay on the floor like dead animals. All of the beautiful Asian-style furniture was stained in blood. In the middle of the room a dark-skinned girl laid in a dark red puddle, her throat cut open cleanly.

Chill sailed past him and lit a cigarette. Quietly he crouched next to the body and lifted the bloodstained strings of hair out of her face.

"Left-handed. Taller than her." Chill said casually, obviously showing off. Roy wondered why he would do that when Link wasn't around. He had no reason to be showing off when his love interest wasn't there. Unless he wanted to show off to him to annoy him.

Roy snorted as he countered it. "Deep hatred, the blood on the walls was meant to shock. This appears almost like a warning."

"Why is that?" Chill's tone of voice was so icy that Roy could almost imagine him speaking in ice cubes.

"She has been slashed here." Roy walked to the spot near Nehanda. "If her throat had been cut only to kill her the blood would've sprayed in one direction only. Simple as that. She was used like spray paint."

Link appeared at the door, Chill walked to him quickly as if he needed help standing. "It's all yours. I doubt there will be any prints though."

The elf made a disgusted noise. "Whoever did this really has a problem towards these couples."

"Psychosis." Roy walked past the both of them, showing off just like Chill had done. "Probably originated in the person's childhood. I'm going to talk to Dionne and Aisha to hear what they think."

"I'll come with you", Link said.

Chill tugged his sleeve sharply. "I'm going home early. That is if you're coming over for dinner…" He glanced at Roy to see if he had overheard them, but the redhead was walking away soundly. Or then he was faking he hadn't heard them.

"Oh, sure." Link said absent-mindedly. Roy was already walking down the hall and he wanted to catch up to him to talk with him. Hear his voice. Even if the redhead was married he couldn't help his thoughts.

Chill smiled sweetly, holding him there. "I'll make something special, just for you."

"That's great, now If you'll ex--"

"At six o'clock!" Chill declared. "Don't be late!" He shouted after him. Link waved him goodbye when he walked towards Roy and the midget smiled at him. He wasn't scary at all when he smiled. It was a shame he didn't do it more often.

He caught up with Roy just when the elevator doors opened. The redhead glanced at him when Dionne looked at them with a surprised expression. She was wearing two heavy grocery bags in her hands, looking a little pained. Whatever she had bought was heavy.

"I didn't know you were so fast." She said.

Roy smiled at her. "We left right after you."

Dionne made room for them by taking a few steps back. "But I hardly had the time to go shopping…"

"To a grocery store?" Link asked, looking at her bags.

She shot him a glare and dumped her bags to him, assuming he would carry them. "That's shopping too!"

She guided them to their door in silence; the murder had obviously shocked her. Maybe she was so in thought because she was scared for her lover. Their apartment was a tiny one as well, decorated with all kinds of African and Indian furniture. The atmosphere there was warm, like it should be in a home.

Aisha came to open the door and before anyone had the time to say anything, she slapped Dionne. "You promised you would come straight home!"

Dionne narrowed her eyes. "Oh yeah? Well, you said you would clean before the officers came!"

"I did! I cleaned the kitchen! What more do you expect from a pregnant woman?" The dark-skinned woman said. Her hair was long and curly, very beautiful. Strings of it hid her dark brown eyes and her deep red lips. She was wearing a long yellow dress with black and red decorations in the front.

"Sex!" Dionne shouted, throwing her hands in the air. Roy blushed deep red, wanting to leave right away. He didn't want to talk about gay relationships, not especially when Link was around. The Hylian only smiled at Dionne's comment.

"Not this subject again!" Aisha shouted back. "No sex when I'm pregnant!"

"Umm…" Link interrupted. They weren't there to witness a family fight but to hear what they had to say about Nehanda's murder.

"Oh, right." Dionne noticed them. "Hun, these are the officers I told you about."

"Oh, the goddamn idiots. Hm, I remember." Aisha said and shook hands with the two dumbstruck men, her dark eyes judging them very carefully.

Dionne shot her a glare as she left. "Now they're here to help."

"Yeah, once there's a murder _then _they start listening to us." Aisha said bitterly as she went to the kitchen. "Coffee, boys?"

"No, we won't be staying for long." Roy answered, waving his hand.

Link decided to leave the chitchat and go to the subject. "Do you have any of these letters you've got?"

Aisha sighed. "We put them aside. Hun, could you get them from the drawer?"

Dionne walked to the drawer and pulled out a thick stack of letters. They came in all sizes and shapes and colours, there had to be at least fifty of them. She dropped them on the living room table with a disgusted look. "They all have the same message: _Break up and take an abort_."

"And you have no plans to do so?" Roy asked, taking the letters and browsing them absent-mindedly.

"Not even one." Dionne said, her eyes flaming. She put her tiny Gucci bag on the couch and sat down. Gently she patted the couch, inviting them to sit but neither of them did.

"Do you know anyone who could be behind this?" The redhead asked, switching his gaze between the two.

"Now that's a tough one." Aisha said sarcastically. She was still making coffee, maybe only for the two of them. She cursed quietly when she spilled the water she was putting into the coffee machine.

Dionne glanced at her and said: "There're a bunch of overly religious people living in the next apartment building. They've threatened us and our friends millions of times."

Roy gave her a smile as thanks for the information. "Maybe we should talk to them then."

Aisha glanced at them quickly, wiping her hands from the water. She walked to them slowly, holding her growing stomach with one lazy hand. "You shouldn't go together."

"Why's that?" Roy asked. They were officers; they knew how to take care of themselves.

"They can smell a gay couple from miles away." Aisha said, putting a hand on Link's shoulder.

The redhead blushed. He couldn't believe they thought they were a couple! He was wearing a wedding ring! How could they not see it? Or maybe he was just feeling it too well, thinking of its chains tightening around him each second even more. "We-we're not…"

"Thanks for the advice." Link took a hold of Roy's shoulders and guided him out.

"Thanks for coming by! Next time announce and I'll make something to eat too!" Aisha came to the door, Dionne putting her hands around her.

"It's nothing, really. See you!" Roy said as they closed the door. He sighed as he started walking towards the elevator, the red lingering on his face to remind him of the embarrassment.

"They were so happy together." Link said after a brief silence, clearly implying.

Roy didn't notice the innuendo: "Yeah, they were…"

Totally spontaneously Link took a hold of Roy's hand and pushed him against the wall, forcing him into a kiss. At first the redhead only stared at him, completely off-guard. It had come so out of the blue that he had no idea how to react to it. And so he kissed Link back, trying to push him away at the same time. His mind and heart couldn't make a decision what to do since they both knew it was better to kiss Link, even if it meant cheating on his wife.

Link let go of him as unexpectedly as he had grabbed him. For a while they looked at each other, both a little confused of what had happened, still tasting and feeling each other, the feelings of the kiss still tingling in their spines.

"Link, what's got into you?" Roy asked as he recovered enough to feel the pain in his wrists. Link's grip had not been gentle; he noticed the red marks on both of his wrists as he rubbed them to ease the pain. But somehow he wasn't mad at him. When he thought of it, he had loved it. Every part of Link, pressing against him.

The Hylian rubbed his forehead as they walked outside. "I… I don't know." He sat down on the stairs outside the building, looking at the traffic with a sad gaze. The wind ruffled his hair as if to comfort him. "Just… seeing a couple like that… it could be us, you know?"

"No, it couldn't. We can't have children." Roy said, avoiding his gaze while he avoided his.

"But you could divorce Peach."

The image of Cosette with her sons, lying on the bathroom floor in her and her sons' blood came to Roy's mind. Those open eyes, looking into the distance with horror, shining the fear of not finding a solution to keep seeing her children. He started towards the car, trying to wipe it off his mind. He couldn't divorce her, not after what he had seen happen to Cosette.

Link looked at him with sad eyes. "The child would surely want a home with love instead of a normal family filled with emptiness."

"Not this subject again." Roy groaned as he leaned against the car.

Link got up and grabbed his shoulders, forcing an eye contact. He hit him gently against the car a few times. "Well, maybe you ought to think a little more."

"It's done." The redhead glared at him, trying to take his hands off him but failed. "I'm married. There's no way I can back away anymore."

"Then divorce!" The Hylian commanded, still holding him.

Roy grimaced; Link's grasp would surely leave a few bruises on his shoulders. "Never!"

"Let's run away!"

"That's cowardice! I made her pregnant, now I pay the price for it!" The redhead explained in his fiery way.

Link sighed, letting him go. "It's useless trying to talk sense to you, isn't it?"

"I will _not _run away." The redhead said firmly, rubbing his shoulders.

"But you will be in pain. You are already in pain, Roy. It won't get easier." The elf looked at him like a little puppy, his cerulean eyes begging him to stop torturing himself.

"It will. The pain will fade away or I'll become numb. Either is fine with me." Roy started towards the building where Aisha had told them the religious fanatics lived, continuing over his shoulder: "I made my decision and I intend to stick to it."

Link sighed heavily, turning to look after him. "Then there's no use for me anymore."

"Yeah, but you've got Chill." Roy said with a hint of bitterness, stopping momentarily.

"Chill can't compare to you." Link smiled, catching up to him. "But maybe one day..."

The redhead blushed deep red. His heart was trying to force him to tell Link how jealous he was just by thinking of Link with another man, but he swallowed it. He had already ruined his own life; he wouldn't do the same for Link. If he told him now that he wanted him and needed him Link would follow him to his grave, constantly trying to make him get a divorce.

Meanwhile Dionne laid on the double bed they had, looking at Aisha collecting the laundry from the floor. She ran her hand through her hair, feeling how smooth it was. She had just had it straightened and it felt heavenly.

"Come here…" She said alluringly, rolling around.

"I said no sex when I'm pregnant." Aisha said, looking at her directly into the eyes, pinching her nose gently.

Dionne sat up, hugging her waist. "Fine, fine. No sex. Just cuddle?"

Aisha sat down on the edge of the bed, her dark eyes looking into Dionne's. "Then you do the laundry."

"Anything. Just come here!"

Slowly Aisha crawled on top of Dionne. Gently she kissed her neck as her hands touched her breasts very carefully, squeezing until Dionne let out a pleasured sigh. With a smile she opened the buttons on her shirt, playing with each one as if it was a cherished toy. As the beautiful skin was revealed she tasted it, with each kiss only wanting more.

Just when she got her hand on into Dionne's pants there was a loud crash as the window broke.

"What the hell?" They both got up. On the floor was a brick surrounded by shards of glass, a little note attached to it. Dionne walked carefully to it, trying not to step on the glass shards. She could feel the anger roaring in her veins as she took the note and read it:

---

_You have seen what we can do. Break up and take an abort before it's too late._

---

Dionne ran to the window without caring about the glass and looked into the alley: "You assholes! I'll strangle you all!"

Aisha walked next to her, putting a gentle hand on her shoulder. "I'm having second thoughts about this whole thing."

"No! We're not backing away now!" Dionne turned to look at her with a shocked expression.

"Is having this baby worth dying? How far are you ready to go?" Aisha asked, aggravated. She had a reason to be tense; she would be the one to be killed if the officers wouldn't catch the offenders.

Dionne looked at her feet. "Backing away now would be the same as quitting."

Aisha glared at her as she walked past her. "I hope the officers haven't got far. They can analyse this note and catch the bastards."

As Link and Roy entered the building where the religious fanatics lived in Roan rang the doorbell of Link's apartment. Young Link was in his room, holding his precious games and cartoons in his hands, his empty eyes looking into the distance. There were no tears on his cheeks, they had all been cried. Only the pain remained.

Upon hearing the doorbell he let everything fall from his hands as he got up, the bed quietly whining when his weight was lifted off it. Sighing, he dragged himself through the darkness of the apartment to the door and opened it.

"Hi", Roan greeted him with a smile.

Young Link could remember the boy's smile; he had a mental image of him, smiling in the school yard when they had been playing baseball in P.E. "Hi." He said, trying to sound happy.

Without asking Roan took his hand and guided him back to his room. "Let's do something fun together!"

Young Link turned his face down. "Like what? I can't play or watch videos."

Roan didn't hesitate. "We could listen to music! Or go outside! It's still early so I think the swings in the yard are free."

Young Link smiled, doing the only thing Roan wanted to see. "…Let's go out. It's better than staying inside."

They walked to the yard, hand in hand, Roan guiding Young Link as well as he could. At the same time they spoke, Roan told the tiny elf about all the things he had seen on his way to theirs. The neighbour's dog had licked his hand, the girl living nearby had given him flowers, the nice man in the bakery just a few blocks away had given him a sandwich for free. He knew it hurt Young Link to hear about them, but he had promised to be his eyes and he would be the best eyes ever.

As they got to the swings he stopped and turned to face Young Link. For a while he wanted to close those empty cerulean eyes staring right through him into eternity soullessly, press his lips on his and tell him he loved him. But he wouldn't do the same mistake twice. He wouldn't let Young Link become disappointed.

The boy took his friend's hands in his. "Young Link… You're my best friend." He said with an encouraging smile.

"You're my best friend too, Roan." Young Link took his hands out of his and hugged him. "You're such a good friend it makes me all tingly inside."

"…Me too." Roan said, swallowing nervously. Young Link was leaning against him, using him as a supporting column.

"Do you know why I feel like this?" The young elf asked almost absent-mindedly, the sound of his voice was so innocent.

Roan couldn't breathe at first. He was too shocked and surprised to think of something to say. Was Young Link about to confess his feelings to him? Was he trying to make him take the first step? Was he looking for his help to tell him what it meant to feel tingly? He decided to act ignorant. It would only hurt Young Link if he confessed his feelings now, supposing that his were the same. "No, what is it?"

"I don't know. I thought you would've known." The small elf said blatantly.

Roan sighed, knowing that the chance was gone and helped him to one of the swings, taking the one next to him. The rusty swings squeaked as they went back and forth. The yard was empty; most people were still at work.

"Take my hand, Young Link."

Young Link groped for his hand.

"This way neither of us feels alone." Roan said, squeezing his hand. The sun caressed them gently with its bright rays as they swung, sometimes a frail cloud sailing past it. The wind helped them swing, playing with their clothes and frolicking in their hair.

And for the brief while they were together Young Link forgot how horrible it was to be blind.

Jerry walked down the hallway to Carl and sat down next to him. He had just witnessed the most bizarre case of his career as a police officer. The two had obviously been fighting over who takes the blame. It was so odd, as if they had planned the whole thing. But why to make a distasteful prank like that?

He watched the western for a while before trying to start a conversation: "What do you think about this whole rapist case?"

"BS." Carl said honestly.

Jerry chuckled. "Or the little one's obsessed."

"I think the whole things just some sick joke." Carl leaned back in his chair, belching and laughing at himself. Jerry chuckled a little, even if he knew how bad behaviour it was. He wanted to stay in friendly terms with Carl because he was his superior. "The one who was brought here first is tame as a pussycat. A real rapist would've acted a little more hostile. Then the other comes first to see him and then claims that he's raped him. It's all a bunch of BS."

"Who'd want to do a joke like that?" Jerry asked, fetching a cold coke from the fridge.

"I have no idea. And if this gets more bizarre I'll arrest everyone talking about the case just to be sure they won't make fun of the PD."

Jerry put down his coke as if he had remembered something very important. He glanced at Carl a few times before he said: "I better call those who filed the missing person's report on him to tell him he's actually been 'raping' his kidnapper."

When Carl didn't answer or was simply ignoring him he took the phone in his hand and wondered for a while what to say. He couldn't simply tell the boy's parents that their son had come to the counter and declared that he had raped his kidnapper. It sounded unbelievable or like Carl had said; a very bad prank. When he thought he had something that made sense he dialled the number and waited.

"'_Ello?"_ A woman's tired voice answered. It was probably the boy's mother.

"Hello, this is Officer Jerry Kirkpatrik from the 15th precinct."

"_Oh… what is it?"_ She sounded livelier right away. There was a little rustle on the background, like plates and glasses being put in a cupboard. Anina was just emptying the dishwasher, then even more loudly than normally to make sure Dyne wouldn't hear it if it was something serious. And without a reason she knew something very serious had happened..

"_Your… son has just confessed to raping Marth Lowell."_

There was a long silence before Anina could answer. "W-what?"

"_Your son confessed to having raped Marth Lowell a few minutes ago."_

"…Can I see me lil' koala?" She asked, not even wanting to hear an explanation. She wanted to hear it directly from Vyse.

"_Of course. If he wants to see you."_

Anina knew how mad Vyse was for them for filing the missing person's report, even if they went there to see him they wouldn't get a clear explanation. That was why she needed to go alone, Vyse still had a little trust and faith in her despite her inability to stop Dyne. "I'll be there in a second."

She put the receiver down slowly, holding it with her both hands. Quickly she peeked into the living room to see Dyne reading the paper. The TV was talking to itself quietly. He hadn't noticed a phone call, if she was lucky he wouldn't notice her leaving the house.

Anina slipped out of the door as quickly as she could, leaving her husband alone in the house, hoping that the newspaper would last long enough to let her make it back home. If Dyne got to know about what his son had done, he would try to bend him to his will thus only driving Vyse farther away from their protective care. She took their car and drove to the precinct, parking on the pavement right in front of the door. At that moment she didn't care if she got a parking ticket for that, her son had done something unbelievably stupid and she would need to talk to him right away.

"I'm here. Where's me sonny?" She got to the counter, ringing the bell anxiously.

Jerry walked down the hallway towards her. "He doesn't want to see you right now, Mrs. Miller. I asked him."

"I am his mother." Anina said firmly. "I have the right to see me ankle biter."

"We know that, Mrs. Miller. And we would be more than glad to let you meet him but right now he refuses to see you."

Anina took a few calming breaths. It was no use getting mad at him. "Then, tell me what's happened."

"Well, we're about as surprised as you are. He confessed and we took him to the cell and when we were about to free Marth, he refused to go. I left them alone to argue over who's guilty and came to call you."

"Ya mean… they were _arguing _who's guilty?" Anina looked at him, suddenly very puzzled.

"As strange as it sounds, yes." Jerry nodded.

Anina rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "What does this mean?"

Jerry shrugged, making a frustrated face. "Well, if we can get a case from this they'll both be charged for lying, belittling the police, rape and kidnapping."

Anina sighed heavily, taking her wallet from her pocket. She was ready to do anything to get to her son. "I want to see me son, right away. He's a minor and he's me _son_, I want to see him _now_."

---

Sorry, it became really long. I hope you didn't get bored while reading it! And remember, if you want a sequel, say it in your reviews!

Thank you so much for reading once again and you know what makes me happy…

Keeper: Tasty…

No, not that! No! ARGH!


	43. Parliamo al Singolare Part 03 Ouch

Sorry to be so awfully late. I've been unbelievably busy.

To be honest, I have considered the possibility of a sequel. In case you're interested, say it in your reviews.

You should check out my homepage… (address in my profile) scroll down and click the link: Click here. I will update it occasionally, so keep checking it!

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**EPISODE 09 Parliamo al Singolare Part 03 Ouch**

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Link walked to Chill's door, looking at it pensively, jingling the car keys in his hand. It wasn't easy asking the boy for a favour but Roy had been right, he wouldn't do it for anyone else than him. And still he would probably ask for something in return. Link knew him well enough to know he wouldn't do anything for free. Whatever he would want in return he would need to agree to it. He leaned against the wall before ringing the doorbell, taking a deep breath. He would look more relaxed that way.

Chill opened the door slowly, running a frustrated hand through his hair. He was holding a pen; he had probably been up all night solving some kind of a puzzle. When their eyes met Link could tell Chill hadn't been sleeping; he wouldn't stand straight or even look at him, his gaze seemed to go right through him to something distant. He had obviously forgotten to have a cup of coffee in the morning judging from the way his hands were trembling.

"Could you do me a favour?" Link went directly to the subject, even without greeting him first. He was too nervous to think about anything else than the favour, knowing that depending on Chill's mood the boy might kill or dance with him because he asked.

The corridor felt colder all of a sudden, the long interval in their conversation was making Link feel uncomfortable, more uncomfortable than normally with Chill. He was like in front of the Anubis-god like an Egyptian, the final judgement being set on him. As a thought it felt strange, but as a feeling all too familiar.

Chill was too used to notice the effect he had on people. To him they were all just stiff and jumpy beings who couldn't take the slightest bit of criticism. He was above them, maybe not because of his strength but because of his intelligence. He didn't need to fight for whatever he wanted, he just needed to manipulate. Sometimes he did regret being so small, but it had helped him out of the greatest trouble of his life.

He forgot what he was thinking about when Link smiled at him nervously. Ah, _a favour_. He narrowed his eyes: "I've been up all night solving this Russian war code for the CIA and I'm pretty sure I'll rip off your spine and beat you with it but explain."

When Link began explaining his wish to Chill, Jerry started talking to Anina. She had been very confused, while she had called her husband her voice had quivered from the fear she felt for her son to infuriation for the law. She had looked so small by the phone booth in her dark purple clothes, her small fingers clenching the black receiver like it was the only thing that kept her alive anymore.

"Mrs. Miller, I und--" He had barely started when Dyne stormed in, his nougat eyes flaming with anger.

"Bring me sonny here, right _now._" He said, clomping to the two of them with a furious look in his eyes. He was clenching his hands like an angry schoolboy getting ready for a fight with the biggest guy of school. Anina took a step back reflexively, fear flashing in her eyes. Her hand took a hold of the counter as if it would've kept her safe. She knew Dyne well enough to stay out of his way when he was angry.

"I'm sorry, I can't do that." Jerry said, fiddling the hem of his shirt. He had never been that good with people, not to mention infuriated people. He always just ended up annoying them, which sometimes lead to him being beaten. That was why Carl was usually at the desk, he was just the coffeemaker, the errand boy, the prison guard. He had subconsciously grabbed a hold of the stun gun resting on his hip and was squeezing it to the point of his fingers turning white.

Anina put a hand on her husband's shoulder, her darkening eyes looking into his with a tired yet demanding gaze. She was afraid of him when he was mad, but when she knew Dyne was ready to hurt their child she was ready to take on the whole U.S. Army. He glanced at her, turning his face away, glanced again as Anina's grip on his shoulder tightened. They were arguing without words.

It went on for a while. Jerry watched it; he could feel the negative energy, the anger lingering in the air. Those gazes, had they been meant for someone else, could've killed. They weren't predatory, sadistic or mad gazes. Only anger, piercing infuriation, a mother and father fighting for their child.

Dyne sighed, his gaze dropping to the floor. He had lost. Quietly he rose his head, asking in a low tone: "Tell me can we get that bastard behind bars."

"Basically, we don't know can we get a case from all this. They can't seem to agree on anything else than loving each other unconditionally." Jerry said nervously, noticing he wasn't inhaling at all. "The district attorney just called and said he would be coming in five minutes. He'll know better."

"What do these two say then?" Anina asked, her hand still holding Dyne's shoulder as if to remind him of his loss.

Jerry forced himself to breathe. They couldn't kill him for breathing. "Well, your son says he has raped Marth several times as well as forced him into a relationship. He also says he ran away from home because you weren't giving him enough space to express himself."

"I can't believe our lil' koala…" Anina sighed, lifting a hand to cover her mouth. Her other hand pulled Dyne demandingly back a little. "Dyne… we're going to lose our sonny if we let this go on. Let's just drop the charges."

"No." Dyne brushed her hand off his shoulder, the lady's eyes hardening with anger for a second. "What does this _Marth _say?"

Jerry froze for a second before the foolish panic disappeared. His hand was still squeezing the stun gun, ready to stun him any second. "…He says he encouraged Vyse to elope with him and arranged accommodation for him at his house. He denies all kinds of bodily contacts except kisses."

Anina grabbed her husband with both hands, this time her nails embedding into his arm. He grimaced, shooting her a glare. She brought a lioness to Jerry's mind, fighting for her kin against a bigger and more powerful enemy with no fear. "Dyne… please…"

"…What will happen if there's a case?" Dyne asked, trying to shrug her off. She just held onto him even tighter, her expression completely calm and collected, the furious fear of losing her son shining in her eyes.

Jerry touched his chin with his thumb, he was no district attorney but he had always been interested in their profession. Sometimes he had accompanied them to hear how they handled their cases. Sometimes he also wondered why he had become a police officer instead of a district attorney. "In that case they might both be evicted for false testimonies or for the real thing."

A short man walked into the building, followed by an awfully chilly wind. They all turned to look at the person stepping in, knowing he was the district attorney. He was wearing a grey striped suit fitting him perfectly, holding a black portfolio in his hand. He walked past them like gliding on ice, his footsteps echoing in the corridor.

"Arvo", Anina said, being the first to destroy the silence.

"Hello, Mr. And Mrs. I Don't Care." Came the answer. He looked at them with his icy eyes, measuring them and their intelligence, waiting for them to make a comment about his height.

"Miller." Dyne said after a while, sticking out his hand to shake with the district attorney.

He looked at Dyne's hand for a while before opening his portfolio with a thoughtful expression. "You don't need to explain the case to me, I know it already."

Anina stepped next to Dyne, holding his hand gently. She was looking for cover from him without even knowing what she was afraid of. It just seemed like the right thing to do. "Then ya understand we want to catch this drongo… but without our sonny going to prison."

"Your son confessed to raping him."

"But he didn't do it! That dill made him! We have to lock him up!" Dyne raged, throwing his hands in the air.

"Don't shout." The icy eyes never left his. "A confession is a confession. It's not certain will either one of them go to prison."

"Why?" Anina asked, trying to get even closer to Dyne.

"Because everyone thinks it's just a joke. So, pretty much all you can do now is to drop the charges."

"We want him to cark it!" Dyne took a step closer to the district attorney, looking at him fiercely. In response to his anger he only got an unemotional gaze, chilling like ice.

"Holy Dooley, darlin', we don't want such a thing!" Anina pulled him back, switching between a fragile princess and a lioness. She tried to stand between him and the district attorney but Dyne wouldn't let her. He wanted an eye contact with the unfeeling man.

"Shut up or I'll tear off your face and wear it on a date with your _mother_." The district attorney said calmly without cracking a devilish smile. He was serious. Dead serious.

Dyne stared at him, unable to respond. The command had come so unexpectedly and was so unusual that he had no idea how to reply. He couldn't believe someone with such a respected profession could actually say something like that. It seemed almost impossible.

"I'm sorry, he's been spittin' the dummy lately, sir." Anina said, holding Dyne. She took him in a hug, comforting him by pressing him strongly against her chest. There was nothing her husband could do to force Marth and Vyse apart and she knew how hard it was. She knew how much Dyne had waited for him to bring a girl for dinner or receive calls from them, but he had to admit his defeat if he wanted to stay in touch with his son.

The district attorney cleared his throat. "No matter what, he will walk."

"Let's drop the charges, Dyne. Darlin', we've already lost." Dyne's wife said compassionately. Maybe Vyse would forgive them for what they had done sometime. Maybe sometime he would understand his father. "If Vyse's ready to go to prison for him then I think it's time for us to give them a chance."

A silence drew its veil upon them, tense and thick but still oddly peaceful. Neither did it let through Dyne's anger nor Anina's fear; it only lingered above them like mist. It was beautiful in a way; Dyne finally hugging her back, she holding him even tighter. For a moment the world stopped as reality updated itself in them before resuming its never-ending play. Jerry glanced at the district attorney who seemed to be smiling, but he couldn't be sure.

In the silent corridor, behind the iron door Marth held Vyse against his chest, only imagining what kind of horror he had to go through for failing his mission from Peach. The brunette breathed calmly against his chest, holding his hand loosely in the soothing silence. He held a hand on his head, playing with a few strands of brown hair. When the door to the corridor opened and voices spilled into the silence, Vyse took a tighter hold of his hand.

There were more than one pair of footsteps approaching their cell. All in all, three.

Vyse lifted his head off Marth's chest, looking helplessly into his eyes. The hand the noble had held on his head fell down to his back, its warmth almost sedative.

"He let them here." He whispered, the same lost, orphaned look in his eyes.

The noble pulled him into a hug, sighing into his ear. He had no words to comfort him. They would all come out sounding frightening, alarming, agonising. At that moment he only wanted to let him know he loved him, keep him safe, protect him from whatever entered their cell.

The door opened and Vyse pressed against him like a child looking for cover from a bogeyman. His breathing was fast and agonised, his hands pressing his like clamps. Marth pressed him closer, trying to show him without words that he would do everything in his power to protect him. The air pouring in was heavy with anger and thick with anguish, a mix that made them feel painfully oppressed.

"Ankle biter!" Dyne's voice boomed as he stepped into the cell, the light behind him framing him as if the God of Destruction himself was paying them a visit.

"Dyne…" Followed Anina's anxious voice.

"Get yer ass here, sonny." Dyne said, glaring at Vyse. He made no move to come and get him, he expected him to come to him like a loyal dog to be punished for his foolish actions.

Vyse wriggled closer to Marth, hiding his face from his father to his warm chest. The noble's chest felt so safe and protective, going up and down calmly as he breathed. Behind his back was the true horror he was trying to block away, somehow believing that it would become nonexistent if he ignored it enough. Marth put a protective hand on his head, stroking him as he began:

"You shouldn't be mad at him."

Dyne took one leap and hit Marth hard. The knuckles hit his cheekbone and nose, causing his head hit the wall behind him. He barely felt the warm blood running from his nose before he passed out. Everything was tranquil and quiet and peaceful. Vyse's hands held onto him tighter, his voice running up the octave as he became more and more worried about him. As the eyes closed the brunette gasped, slapping him while almost hyperventilating.

A bird flew against the window, the bang starting Roy. He jumped to his feet, almost dropping the cup of coffee he was holding. It was the second bird banging against the window during his stay there. Whoever had decorated the ultra tidy household with nothing but shades of green had blended it to its surroundings perfectly. Even all the beautiful artworks on the walls were painted in green. The combination of white walls with green furniture was amazing but with a forest starting from the backyard Roy couldn't help wondering had ever a bigger animal than a bird tried to come in.

He sat down again, sighing. Before Link had left to have dinner with Chill they had gone through the whole apartment building next to Aisha and Dionne's. What they had learned was that most of the people living in there were religious and kept their meetings in a house on the outskirts of the city. What the girls hadn't mentioned was that they seemed to be a calm and fairly dormant group, arranging get-togethers every once in a while. The so-called leader of the group was a teacher and from what he could see on the walls also a respected one.

"Sorry to make you wait." Eberhardt walked to the room, shook his hand with a smile and offered another cup of coffee, which Roy refused to have.

"It's all right. We get used to it." The redhead answered with a casual smile as they both sat down. He put his coffee cup on the light green table, just in case another animal would try to come in.

"So, what was it you wanted to talk about?" Eberhardt leaned back in his chair, sighing.

Roy's smile died before he began: "Some of your religious group members have been accused of disorderly conduct."

"Oh… why would anyone say that?"

Roy looked away from him. He seemed so honest, looking at him with a truly surprised face. "We heard this group might have some strong feelings about homosexual couples…"

Eberhardt sighed. "Ah, right. It's those two girls, isn't it?"

Roy paused for a while. Hadn't Dionne and Aisha told him everything? "Please, explain."

"My daughter. She was… she was in love with… women." Eberhardt said, squeezing the cup in his hands. He looked at the dark liquid with a tired old man's eyes, reminiscing. "…I denied her. I'm not very proud of myself."

"And she…? Does she know Aisha or Dionne?" The redhead felt a little uncomfortable needing to open his unhealed wounds for their investigation but the was nothing else he could do. And who knew, maybe digging up the old memories would inspire him to do something about his and his daughter's relationship.

"She's one of their friends. Those two, the dark-skinned girl and the blonde, they've hated me intensely ever since." He waited for Roy to reply, but when the redhead didn't, he continued: "…And I don't blame them."

"So they're blaming everything on you, no?"  
Eberhardt glanced at him, the tired old eyes growing grey. Roy wanted to tell him having lost his daughter couldn't be replaced by any kind of feng-shui or possession. Nothing material could replace her, it might only make things worse. "Yes. Unfortunately so. And somehow they've brainwashed my daughter so that she doesn't want to see or talk to me anymore."

"I'm sorry." Roy said sadly, keeping his thoughts to himself. "Do you know anyone in your group that might be a racist or…?"

"No." Eberhardt shook his head lightly. He got up slowly with an old man's dignity, walked to his bookshelf and took a picture in his hands. For a while his grey eyes became alive as he looked at the picture, caressing the frame with one finger. He walked back, looking at it with memories flooding his mind, happy memories gently obliterating the bad ones. He sat down and handed the picture to Roy, a melancholy smile spreading on his lips.

The redhead took the picture, reading from the teacher's facial expression how much it meant to him before casting his eyes on it. The picture was an old one; it had once been black and white but by then white had been replaced by a soft shade of yellow. In the picture a young boy held a dark-skinned girl's hand, both looking at the camera and leaning against each other. The smiles on their faces could've replaced sunshine itself.

"I would never let a racist into my group." Eberhardt said.

Roy gave him the picture, unable to say anything. He felt embarrassed to have asked it.

"I would never accept anything that violates her memory… my daughter." Eberhardt swallowed and wiped his eyes. "Religion gave me strength. And it gave me meaning. My wife dying, my daughter hating me… He has a reason for all of this."

"Yes. Most certainly." The redhead said compassionately, nodding as he spoke.

Eberhardt glanced at him with a knowing gaze. He had seen life. He had learned to read faces, even if they were covered with the most detailed masks. "If you ever need support, please come and see me."

"I will." Roy said with a faked smile. Frightening how easily the teacher had seen right through him. "But right now no one but I can solve my problems."

How much did he wish for it to be otherwise! How much easier it would be! If he could just join a group and give away all his troubles forever, rely that someone else would carry his worries on their shoulders. Someone would hold his skeletons in their closet, hide his darkest secrets, chain his unhappy childhood. Erase it all from his memory so that he could have a fresh start.

Vyse hoped the same. When Dyne had hit Marth Jerry had grabbed him and thrown him out of the cell. There had been a lot of swearing and screaming, threatening and pleading. The voices were suffocated by the large iron door as it close with a heavy bang. The cell became quiet with only the three of them, unconscious Marth, silent Anina and him.

Vyse was holding the noble's face, feeling how some warm sticky liquid dripped on his hand. _Blood_. Seeing it flow so freely out of a living being made him feel sick and worried, vulnerable to know that even his loved one was only a human. It stuck to his fingers like glue, slowly drying while new blood flowed over it. His mind jumped to a pretty obvious conclusion right away, only adding to his panic.

"Marth! Marth!" He called anxiously, shaking the noble's head. Marth let out a groan; Dyne's hit had knocked him unconscious for a moment but the call of the brunette was bringing him back. Everything had been so peaceful and quiet, without any anger or agony. When reality settled into him the feelings returned, making his heart beat faster with the silent, screaming panic he managed to keep inside.

Quietly Anina sat next to them, trying to see how badly Marth was bleeding. It didn't seem too bad, being only a nosebleed, but Vyse was clearly panicking. He was whispering good things to Marth's ear, mostly to calm himself down. She put a gentle motherly hand on his back, rubbing it a little like when she had done to him when he had been a child, afraid of going to kindergarten because of the bullies. The whole experiences of love, running away, getting caught and protecting the one he loved had been something completely new to her son, he had already been stressed about the noble and then his father had come, punching him hard enough to make him bleed.

"He'll be all right, koala", she said softly, hoping that her son would hear her through the blinding veil of panic that only let negative feelings to his head.

Vyse turned to look at her, hissing: "Dad hurt him, _mom_." When he said 'mom' his voice got a whole new tone, a tone of great anger – was he denying her? She couldn't blame him. She had let it all happen, watched the show like a bored viewer, waiting for the climax to wake her up. She had let her husband hit her son's beloved.

Anina looked away, swallowing. "Vyse, try to understand… ya ran away and got yerself to prison. He was as busy as a cat burying shit worryin' about ya…"

"I don't care." Vyse hissed, pressing the noble's head against his chest. "We can't be separated. If he dies, I die."

Anina leaned back, her eyes wide. Those furious eyes, the angry tears running down his cheeks, the desperate noises escaping his throat. Those hot tears forcing their way out of his eyes, burning his skin as the flowed down his cheeks. He was just like she had been. She could remember looking at her father furiously, telling him she would never be separated from Dyne. Those feeling of anger and desperation, the worry of losing her loved one came back to her hitting her like a tidal wave.

Anina got up without a sound. She opened the heavy door with ease, adrenaline giving her strength. Without a second thought she stepped into the corridor where Jerry held Dyne still. She walked to him, her dark eyes fixed on his, returning all the anger Dyne shot at her. She stopped right in front of him, waving Jerry to let go of him.

"Dyne…" She said softly.

"What?" He replied, glaring at the cell door.

Anina walked to Dyne, looked at him, the man she loved. Her love had ever neither wavered nor enfeebled; not in front of adversities or success and it would never weaken. This was just another hardship, delayed for too long. It was about time someone did something to fix everything.

She didn't hesitate. Not one moment while she clenched her fist and pulled it back for maximum strength did she dither or feel weak.

The hit landed on Dyne's chin, too fast for her husband to notice. His eyes widened, rolled around as they close. He took a shaky step backwards, a groan escaping his mouth before he fell over. His body hit the floor with a lazy thump, lying there motionlessly. He was unconscious. It was completely quiet.

She squatted next to him, brushed a few hairs out of his face and said: "It's over. They win."

Jerry had followed the whole episode with wide eyes, unable to do anything but watch. Never before had he witnessed such an event and he was strangely sure he would never view anything like it again. He took a step back, raising his hands to protect him when the woman got up. She looked at her husband for a while before turning around

on her heels and trotting back to the cell. On her way back she had trouble opening the heavy door, but Jerry was too confused and scared to go help her.

Marth was holding his nose, Vyse still talking to him. The noble kept his eyes closed, answering Vyse's ramblings with quiet hums. She watched the two, seeing the care and love between them, understanding why her son had escaped. She didn't know Marth, but by what she had seen, how he had stood up for his love had been admirable. If anyone, he deserved to be with her son. She squatted next to her son and began softly:

"…Ya two have our blessing. I'll have a blue with Dyne when we get home. Just… be apples, ya hear me?"

Vyse turned to look at her, his nougat eyes wide with surprise. The words had come as a complete surprise to him, at first feeling like a dream. It took him a while to understand them, process them, analyse them completely. His face melted into a smile when it finally happened, when the information reached his brain. He took a hold of Marth's hand, smiling gratefully: "…We will, mom."

"I don't… I don't care what kind of… love it is between ya two… just… keep each other happy. Dyne and I have a lot of blues, but I don't regret a moment in me life. I just… want ya two to be able… to stand all the _phobias_ and _prejudice_… and the figjams… and when ya're old and wrinkled like me ya can still say ya made _the right choice_." Anina said, drying her son's tears with her fingers. She had always been weak when it had been about him, her only child whose happiness she wanted above everything. If it was with Marth, she needed to understand it and make her husband acknowledge it as well.

Marth looked at her with a confused smile; she was such a wise woman. He couldn't reply to her, only stare her in amazement and admiration. Vyse was lucky to have a mother like her.

"…Mom, what happened?" The brunette asked, quickly adding: "Ya're not old and wrinkled."

Anina smiled genuinely, her whole appearance radiating with happiness. Unexpectedly she hugged Marth, pressing him against her chest like her own son. He was warm. He was good. "Welcome to the family."

Marth leaned back after her hug, his eyes wide. They weren't full of confusion but gratitude. For a while he expected her to burst to laughter and tell them she had been only joking, but she never did. She answered his gaze with a loving one, meaning every word she had said. Vyse rested his head on Marth's chest, smiling.

Link sat down on Chill's couch, wondering why he was still in his apartment. It was the second day in a row and he was starting to feel more like home. Even if he felt more relaxed he couldn't suffocate the little voice in the back of his mind telling him to beware of all the skeletons living in Chill's closets. Of course, he couldn't be sure there were any skeletons at all; it was just a very troublesome thought distracting him all the time.

"I'm going to go buy some groceries." Chill walked past him, dropping him a coke with a smile.

"Thanks", Link said, opening the can. "And thanks for helping Vyse and Marth out of jail."

"I thought you were thirsty", the silver-topped boy said as he took his jacket from the coat-rack. Quietly he put it on, district attorney-act. The two Australians had bought it completely without any questions of his age or height. And even if he didn't want to frolic in the feeling, he was enjoying the happiness he felt for helping out the elf. Before Link could answer him he was gone, humming an old tune he liked very much. Link was smoothly being reeled in; everything was going exactly like he had planned.

"And I never needed a psychiatric, _Roy_", he looked into the rear-view mirror with a devilish chuckle before starting the engine.

The second he had disappeared Link ran to his desk and began digging up more information. He was too eager to learn more, he had to know everything about the silver-topped boy. Everything he got his hands on he read with great enthusiasm, hardly blinking. Before long his eyes began to smart, but he didn't care. Curiosity killed the cat, he knew it too well, but somehow he wasn't able to stop. His thirst for information was too great. Chill hadn't talked about anything at all even though he had tried to make him talk with every possible non-violent measure

After a while he found a curious file. On the cover it said: Southern Mental Institute, patient Chill Pioggia. He stared at it for a while, he was sure it hadn't been there when he had checked the desk the last time. Something that strange and large would've caught his eye without a doubt. Quickly he opened it and began reading, glancing at the door nervously every once in a while.

_Patient is suffering from a psychosis and hallucinations. Claims to have killed his teacher, but cannot verify his claims in any way. _

He paused. _The teacher murder._ Furiously he began going through the drawer to find evidence, not paying much heed to the file anymore. Reading it took too much precious time. What he found was a tiny needle in the cupboard among all the stuff; pens and pencils, notebooks, reports... and remembered:_ It is the coroner's conclusion that the victim was not killed by violence, yet it might've helped the process, but with a puncture wound made by a cannula._

He looked up from the report, swallowing hard. Suddenly the feeling of home was gone, replaced by a feeling of being trapped and tortured. Curiosity has truly killed the cat, he found himself thinking. He no longer wanted to know more, only a way to catch a dangerous killer who belonged behind bars. And then he remembered; Chill loved him.

Chill came home a half an hour later, still humming the same tune. Link stood in the kitchen, looking very morose. The boy glanced at him as he put down the shopping bags and took some of the ingredients to the fridge, still humming. Link couldn't believe he could still live a normal life with the guilt of a murder on his shoulder. Was he truly sculpted of ice? Unaware of Link's thoughts Chill began preparing food on a good mood, chopping the vegetables at an amazing speed.

He heard Link take a step away from him. Another silence followed before the elf spoke:

"Chill… were you involved in the teacher murder?"

Chill stopped humming. He was facing the hardest part of reeling Link in, but he would succeed. If he couldn't have the elf, no one would. He had already made up his mind. For a moment the only sound in the room along with the clock on the wall was the sound of vegetable getting chopped. "What if I were?"

"I'll have to report you." Link showed him the psychological records and the needle. "I have the murder weapon and a file proving you tried to confess but they wouldn't believe a child would be able of murdering systematically in cold blood."

The boy was quiet for a moment. "…That isn't necessary. You see, I've already _murdered _once and got away with it, what makes killing _you_ any different?"

He turned around, throwing the knife he had used to chop vegetables at Link.

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Finally! Now there're only two parts left of this story!

You know how much I love reviews, so please do let me know you're reading this and that you want to see it finished!


	44. Parliamo al Singolare Part 04 Never Forg

I've finally written another chapter. Gsus, I took forever! Anyway, check out my homepage once again. I have no idea how the new bleep bleep dot net fancybleep reply system works, that's why. I've been away far, FAR too long!

And last but not least, I'd like to thank _PsychoSwordLady_ for beta-ing this (at Christmas time)! Check out her stories as well!

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**EPISODE 09: Parliamo al Singolare Part 04 Never Forget**

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The knife hit the wall right beside Link's ear and sunk deep into it, the wood chipping as it did. The tiny chip of wood that fell from the impact hit the ground in complete silence, breaking it like glass. They stared at each other, Chill's eyes cold as ice and Link's watering with the joy of being alive. He waited for his legs to give in because of the feelings of joy rushing inside of his veins like a crazy carnival, but they never did. His heart was racing in his chest, screaming in fear. It wasn't over yet. Chill had an arsenal of knives all around the kitchen.

"Do you really think I would be such a bad person to do that without a good reason?" The icy eyes accused him as his hands found his cigarettes and reflexively lit one. On some subconscious level he was enjoying the terror he had just caused and smoking a cigarette was going to complete the experience.

For a while the elf only gawked. Even if he tried to resume his brains, they wouldn't work. Fear was blocking the wheels of thought from turning and only when Chill finally averted his eyes, gazing at his cigarette in contemplation, he started to realise the situation. The knife hadn't been meant to kill him but to make him listen. Suddenly he felt utterly embarrassed, but the apologising words were stuck in his throat. The pieces of his apology came out as quiet wheezes.

"Oh. So you really do. I guess I seem a little crazy to others…" Chill said calmly, the eyes boring into his. His wheezing had been understood completely wrong. "But I wouldn't have done it just for the fun of it. I would've done it because I would've had to. I would've had to do it to regain my honour."

"….Y-your honour?" The elf let himself fall on the floor as the words finally came out, still husky.

"My maths teacher raped me. He took my virginity." Chill said shortly, turning around. It hurt to talk about it, but it hurt even more to talk about it.

Link stared at him. It was unbelievable, but made complete sense. That had been the reason why Chill had never tried to make love to him when they had slept in the same bed. Maybe he had been so afraid of something so intimate, something that had made him boil with anger that he had never wanted to feel it again. "But… how did you get away with it?"

"Who said I did it?" The boy asked, trying to sound innocent. "I was merely speculating."

"But it says here you confessed to havi--"

"I was a child prodigy and as we all know, or at least psychologists know, they are often very unbalanced and imaginative children. I merely saw the facts on television, put the evidence together and thought that maybe I had done it because I had solved it faster than the investigators."

But he couldn't lie to himself. The veil of secrecy he drew over himself was only enough to keep others from knowing his memories. Himself he couldn't fool.

It had been the single most thrilling event of his life. He had got his pride and honour back and made up for his innocence. Life, for those few days in his past had felt like hell on Earth, but after he had delivered Johnson to the morose gates of Hell the fury, as it had dissolved had purified his soul. Or whatever had been left of it. He was aware it had changed him brutally, even bestially but nothing had given him peace of mind like that. The serenity of corrected wrongs had been divine. He had not only found the pleasure in realising his brutal judgement but also the joy of having a prodigious mind. Before killing Johnson he hadn't used his brain to the fullest and had only been experimenting with it, pushing its limits had truly widened his view.

Link sighed. The story had been in Chill's softened eyes, but had never gained the form of words. Chill's eyes' icy surface had melted to reveal the sunny Mediterranean old man's gaze in them, something he had never expected to see.

"Chill." He intoned softly as the dwelling inside of him calmed down, tired of waiting for his judgement. He had gained courage from the softness in those eyes, human compassion flashing in them. His short friend was not a monster, he was humane and although it was hard to detect, he seemed to regret his actions on some subconscious level.

"You saw the picture, didn't you?" The ice in his eyes cracked, but was nowhere close to melting. "I used to have the most beautiful brown eyes and hair…"

Link couldn't answer. He could almost see the change Chill had gone through, growing up in just one day, leaving behind the carefree days of childhood and accepting the challenges of adulthood. With the burden of a murder on his shoulders it wasn't hard to understand how dramatically his appearance had changed. And that had been barely the top of the iceberg; he had died and been reborn from the flames of revenge.

Link took a few shaky steps, pulling Chill into a hug. The boy was so short that he had to lift him up in the air to be able to do it. And without a reason he apologised, holding him against him.

At the exact same moment Marth sat round the table, swallowing nervously. He was sweating, he felt a lump in his throat and he was sure that at some point of the dinner Dyne would jump on him and try to kill him.

Anina smiled cordially as she carried the pots and pans to the table, apologising for not having laid the table any prettier. There was no need to apologise; she had made a wonderful meal, probably been at it the whole day. From piquant antipasti of fish and various salty crackers with ham to primo piatti that was nothing less than a succulent roast with vegetables, salads and many different kinds of potatoes, served with the finest of Chianti and after that her very own special dessert. Vyse and Dyne knew without asking that ruining that meal would've not only led to mass destruction but also the 3rd World War. Ignorant of that, Marth was enticed by the delicious scents floating above the table. Anina's dinner was a work of art, almost too beautiful to consume.

Vyse pressed his hand; he glanced at him with a smile playing on his lips. He didn't want Vyse to know about his predicament; the brunette had already been on the verge of fainting being so nervous about the whole dinner. Dyne's eyes were burning holes to him, because of him the air felt stagnant. Somehow he knew everything breathe he took, every sup he had, every glance he exchanged with Vyse were scrutinized. Dyne's apoplectic anger towards him was hanging in the air above them, waiting to be burst with one wrong word by the noble. He felt like a deer amidst hunters, the barrel of a trigger-happy shooter's gun pointing at his temple.

"So, daahlin's, go ahead and help yahsselves." Anina said as she sat down on her chair, taking off her apron. She had put on her best shirt, looking classically stylish, a timeless beauty despite the wrinkles of age already forming on her brow.

Vyse let go of his hand as he reached for the corn. "Thanks, mom."

With the brunette's warm touch gone, Marth felt like he had been stripped from his defences, dragged out of his impenetrable fortress. Dyne's gaze was indeed piercing him. Anina's soft eyes didn't ease his plight at all.

There was a loud bang and Dyne hissed a few curses. Anina smiled, but since Dyne quit staring at Marth he knew she had noticed his plight. With a demure smile he thanked her, hoping that Dyne wouldn't notice it.

"Marth, it was?" She asked with a sunny smile on her lips. It was obvious where Vyse had got his sunny attitude.

"Yes, Marth Lowell."

"And yah work for the SFBI? Or that's what I'dun heard from Vyse…" Anina continued. She had obviously given their relationship a whole lot more thought than Dyne.

"Yes." The noble said promptly. "In the violent crimes section."

"Then shouldn't yah b--" Another loud bang forced Dyne bite his lip. For a while he swore, holding his foot. Then he got up and walked arrogantly to the stairs, holding his head up high.

Anina stuck out her tongue at him, but then quickly remembered Marth's presence. She burst to laughter with Vyse, throwing Marth into a sea of confusion. He had been taught to completely ignore someone who couldn't behave yet these two were laughing at it as if it had been jovial, not insulting. Finally he let himself laugh with the two, but couldn't completely hide the forced hint to it.

The laughter did lighten the atmosphere yet somehow it wasn't able to lift the heavy weight of guilt from Marth's shoulders.

In the evening Link returned home, only to find the noble behind his door. With a tired sigh he greeted him, forcing a gentle smile. He would've rather gone to bed and only with great effort he managed to hide it. The day had been a complete disaster, the sooner it would be over the better.

"Hi, Marth", he said. "Young Link should be home."

The noble turned around as he heard his name recited. "I just came, he's probably on his way to open the door."

Link couldn't think of a subject to talk about so he asked the only question that came to his mind. Maybe it was also because his brain was still not working properly after the shock at Chill's apartment. "Have you heard anything about Roy?"

"No, nothing." Marth answered, frowning upon his question. "Why? Has something happened?"

"He only briefly mentioned that Peach would be giving birth soon." Link answered with frustration in his voice and didn't even try to hide it.

Marth patted him on the back, feeling genuine sympathy. "I'm so sorry."

"Hi", Young Link opened the door. His empty eyes looked through them into eternity like so many times before. This time, the tears had dried on his cheeks. "Roan's here, if it's okay."

"Of course it's okay." Link smiled, ruffling his hair as he passed him. Marth hugged him like an old friend he hadn't seen in ages, his expression revealing the pain and guilt he felt for the boy's handicap. He hid it behind a smiling mask, but Young Link's archaic smile disappeared. By instinct after the hug he reached out to his left and Roan's hand found his, their fingers entwining tightly.

The two children returned to the couch, Roan leading Young Link with sharp eyes. His grip on the small elf's hand was firm, as if his life had depended on it. Young Link barely smiled, his eyes looking through the floor in deep contemplation. As he sat down, his empty eyes caught Marth and the noble could feel guilt washing through him; it seemed as if Young Link was looking into his soul with such fury for his pity that he wanted to disappear. The gaze lasted only a second or two, but its meaning was clear.

Roan couldn't see it, he was too focused to read his book out loud for Young Link. His voice, Marth noticed, was soft and cordial; the story seemed to become nearly palpable for the two of them. Occasionally Young Link would ask a question, Roan would answer it in a brusque manner, continuing the story as if it had never been interrupted.

Marth watched this friendship with a tired gaze, perceiving gauzy warmth in the air. It was ineffable, only between the two children, but it was there. Something beautiful, gentle in a pure, untouched way. At some point Young Link put a hand on the book Roan was reading and said vaguely: "Let's go outside."

Roan looked at him, scrutinizing him for a while before he began to smile. "Yeah! I hope no one's on the swings!"

"Yeah!" Young Link laughed genuinely as they ran through the door, Roan leading him just like he had promised to do. Marth didn't know about their contract, but what he had seen was hard to misunderstand. Young Link's eyes were effaced, he couldn't read them, but Roan's eyes, a child's eyes were all too easy. His love was his ligature to Young Link. And even if Marth couldn't read Young Link's eyes, he could see it in the way he acted. After all, he was a lot like Link and he had seen how Link acted in love.

"Link…" He took a few lazy steps towards the elf, forming the information he had just gathered into a construction of sentences.

"What?" Link asked as he glanced at him, but turned to shout after Young Link: "Come home before five! We'll have dinner then!"

The door banged shut, a soft silence descending over them. The children made the apartment so lively with their insignificant chatter and laughter, full of the innocence of childhood. The silence surrounding them was tranquil, relaxing after a long day. It made Marth feel like in reverie. It was heavenly. Silence and peace without anyone trying to pierce him with their gaze, without anyone watching his every move, without anyone judging him with every glance.

This state of mind encouraged him to tell Link what he had just discerned between Roan and Young Link. He took reflexively a deep breath, his eyes fixing on the Hylian.

"Did you just see what I saw?"

"What did you see?" Link asked, the knife he used to cut the tomatoes didn't slow down at all.

"Roan… They…" Marth hesitated for the final time, Link was worried enough about Roy. On the other hand, he was Young Link's caretaker and he had the right to know what was happening. "Those two were holding hands as they went."

"So? They're best friends." Link glanced at him with a tired smile.

"No… I… The way Roan looks at Young Link…"

"But Young Link's way too young to be in a relationship!" Link said, dropping the knife, his eyes fixed on his index finger. A tiny drop of blood glittered on it. "Ow, I cut myself."

"Here", Marth went to the first aid kit and got a band-aid for him. "I didn't mean a sexual relationship like between adults."

The elf sighed as he put the band-aid on his finger. It looked a bit funny; the pictures of Mickey Mouse and friends didn't suite the sullen elf. "But it will get there nonetheless."

"Don't overreact. Talk to Young Link." Marth said soothingly, like a father.

"Damn right I will. If Roan's becoming his boyfriend I want to get to know him better. And I'll make sure neither one of them gets anywhere near women." He spat the last word with deep hatred, generalising all women because of Peach.

Marth looked at his feet. Of course Link would mirror the situation to his life. But Roy and Roan were so different. Sometimes he felt like Roan was more mature than Roy, he was contemplative and patient whereas Roy rushed to things, hurting himself and others - but Marth couldn't blame the redhead for his childhood traumas. "…Don't be so mad at Roy. His child matters so much to him."

"But I thought _I _mattered to him!" Link said fiercely, glaring at Marth. He grimaced, pulling his hand away reflexively. The knife fell on the floor with a few metallic clinks. "Ow, I cut myself again."

"You know how sensitive Roy is about being with men." Marth walked closer to him, giving him another band-aid, but the elf wouldn't take it. He barely licked his finger to make sure it wasn't bleeding before lifting the knife from the floor to continue.

"Knowing him I wasn't surprised when he chose Peach instead of you." The noble ascertained in a low voice.

"How dare you?" Link shouted. "Ow!"

"I'm just saying the truth. And put the knife away now." Marth said, taking the knife away and wrapping his arms gently around Link's waist. The elf didn't seem to mind, he looked at his cut as if it had been a cockroach in his bathtub.

The noble sighed. It wasn't easy to interfere in others' relationships, he wasn't even sure was he doing the right thing in separating them but Link couldn't keep thinking about Roy for the rest of his life. He would only become a bitter introvert and hate love until his heart would be made of stone. That was what Marth wanted to prevent, even if it meant more pain for the time being: "I'm just saying that Roy wants to be like most of the people. He wants to be straight. You can't change that in him. No matter how much he loves you, even though you're first in his heart, he will always be disturbed by it and thus you'll always be second in his mind."

Link was quiet for a long time. His cerulean eyes stared emptily in front of him as a sign of deep contemplation. At times he heaved morose sighs of a painful realisation. "I guess so… But it hurts…" Link leaned into Marth's hug, wanting to be held by someone. And the noble held him like a friend in need.

"'Ello, Marth!" Vyse rushed in from the door. The boys had probably forgotten to close it when they had left. "Ya didn't answer the phone so I figured ya'd be here. What are ya two doing?"

"Oh… he was just holding me." Link said apologetically, pushing Marth away. "...letting me open up."

"…I hope Roy comes back to ya." Vyse said, assuming the matter that caused the predicament.

"He won't." Link sniffled as he went back to chopping the vegetables. "He's never going to walk away from a father's role for the love of his life."

"But that's grouse!" Vyse commented. "I'd be so crushed if I heard me oldies had done that for me!"

Link glanced at him with a barely visible smile on his lips. It died when he opened his mouth. "Yeah, but once Roy's made his mind nothing can change it. Believe me, I've tried."

Marth gave Vyse a kiss on his temple and the brunette leaned backwards against him with a content countenance. "We've tried everything we can. Just don't get involved with women."

"Why would I need women when I've got ya?"

"You got that right." Marth smiled into his ear. He whispered something and Vyse nearly purred, rubbing his head on his shirt like a kitten. Link couldn't help feeling jealous and quietly bandaged his finger again.

"La--" Vyse didn't get to finish his sentence when the phone rang. The elf picked it up quickly, his eyes widening when he recognised the number. "Roy?" He asked with a surprised tone, wiping his hands to his pants. The two glanced at each other, wanting to know what was going on.

"_Link, her water just broke."_ Roy said solemnly through the silent hum of traffic. Link could hear Peach's quiet whines on the background; sometimes Roy said a word or two to her to keep her calm.

"Oh…" Link couldn't think of anything else to say. Marth and Vyse were both frowning upon his behaviour, growing more and more curious by the minute.

Roy kept a small pause, waiting for him to say something else. Or was he listening to his breathing?_"… I… We're on our way to the hospital."_

"Do you want me to come over there?" The elf entreated. The noble noticed how he was holding the receiver tight enough to turn his fist white.

"_Link… I…"_ He tried to say he wanted him there but the feelings were suffocated in his throat before gaining the form of words.

Link could almost see him blush, knowing that he would need to offer himself. "I'll finish making dinner and come then, all right?"

"_S-sure." _He could hear relief in Roy's voice, a small smile. It caused him to smile as well when he answered: "See you then. Bye"

"_Link." _Roy said when he was about the put receiver down. Quickly he lifted it back to his ear, as if he had been expecting another confession of love. He wasn't sure what he would've done if that had happened, but he wouldn't have finished the dinner, that was for sure. "Yeah?"

Roy seemed surprised about his eager tone:_"…I… I want to n-name my child af-after you if it's a boy."_

"Roy, I don--" Roy hung up. Link looked at Marth and Vyse, giving himself time to understand Peach was really going to give birth. His last bridge to Roy had just been burned.

"Her water just broke." He said with great effort, hiding his eyes from them. He wouldn't cry. Not anymore. "I'm going there after dinner's done."

"What did he say?" Vyse asked, leaning his head. If Marth hadn't been there he would've hugged Link as well. He wasn't as positive as he used to be, it had been ages since he had heard him crack a joke the last time. Being apart from Roy was really marring him.

"Not much. Only that I should go." He put the received down, sighing. The pain was almost too much. Roy was lost forever, each word he spoke hitting his heart like a dagger, every glance he threw at him ripping his soul apart.

_And the child. _

The child, although he tried not to hate it he couldn't help himself. It was the reason he had lost Roy. But he would smile. He would be there for Roy, even if it killed his soul, leaving only an empty shell standing by the redhead.

Peach had gone through labour just a few hours later. Roy stood outside the hospital room, hugging himself and trembling. His hands felt sweaty; he hadn't managed to get down a single bite all day. Even if he tried, nothing tasted like anything. He could've eaten cardboard box and feel no difference to crème brulèe.

Just a handful of feet away from him stood Jake, looking at the floor, sipping his coffee quietly. At times he glanced at the room's door, waiting for someone to come out, his green eyes scanning the corridor. He didn't want to go too close in fear of Roy getting overly curious about him lingering around the corridor without anything to do all day. He was just the mailman, nothing more nothing less. He threw his sixth empty paper cup to the trashcan, moving towards the cafeteria to get a new one. It was the only sensible thing to do around there.

Roy switched his weight to his left foot, thinking about his child. Or trying to think about him. But his thoughts were like wild doves; flying freely to the place they felt most like home. Link. He sighed as the elf once again passed his mind. He had avoided him after what had happened in the apartment building of Dionne and Aisha, remembering the brief conversation they had had. Or actually, what had happened before the conversation. Why hadn't he stopped Link? Why had he kissed him back, let his fingers grab a hold of his pullover, feel his skin under it? Why hadn't he pushed him away, just let him kiss him, claim him as his own just like so many times before when his legs had given in and his heart had paralysed his whole body and frozen his mind to make it unable to think?

He felt the pieces of his heart crunching inside of him as he took a few nervous steps around the corridor, dodging the busy nurses and avoiding the professional-looking doctors shouting orders like generals to their soldiers. He didn't give them much heed, being stuck in a boat in the stormy sea of his thoughts. He would leave the city in a week; right after Peach would be able to go home from the hospital. They would move to a city far enough to make it impossible to return. He would wipe the city out of his map, forget it and move on, erasing and obliterating all of his memories as well.

And that included an elf.

Some of them just didn't want to be forgotten. They fought against him, his heart on their side. Those quiet moments in the office when Link had gently grabbed his waist and pulled him into a kiss, those times they had walked down a road and Link had slipped his fingers between his, those nights they had held each other in the darkness of a room, the feelings of moments before swelling inside of them.

He turned around quickly as he heard a door open, seeing a nurse pop out of Peach's room, her face gleaming with ignorant happiness. She glided to him, looking up at him from behind the mask she wore on her mouth and nose. Her grey lively eyes looked at him for a second before she got the mask off her face.

"It's a boy", she said as she took off her gloves, watching his expression closely. She couldn't help smiling at such a happy occasion but Roy turned his gaze away. He swallowed hard, holding back his tears. The final seal had been done. He had become a father, the moment of accepting it just a second away. He clenched his fists, taking a deep breath. The nurse patted him on the shoulder with an encouraging smile, taking a hold of his arm and leading him towards the room.

A small voice at the back of his mind screamed. It screamed so loudly that he thought his head was about to explode.

She opened the door, allowing Roy to see his wife on the hospital bed. Not a drop of sweat glittered on her face, not a spot of make-up was wrong, not a hair from her hairdo was out of place. She looked frail in the light blue pyjama she was wearing, holding the white bundle in her arms with an expressionless face. Her eyes were cast on it, her other hand stroking the baby, but she lacked the air of maternity, the gentle smile a mother couldn't help when seeing her children. The room smelled like antiseptics and a few other strong chemicals. The machines continued beeping, ignoring the delicate moment of a father and son meeting. The grey day flashed behind the curtains dancing slightly in the wind blowing inside from the open window.

He walked next to her, creating an eye contact. They didn't say anything. She handed him the bundle, her eyes following his movement closely.

Roy looked at the baby, it was even smaller than what he had imagined, the big eyes almost closed in the bright light of the hospital room. The tiny plump fingers searched for something to grab a hold of, each time they found something they tried to pull it to his mouth. His other hand supported the tiny head while he gently caressed the softness of his baby's head. It was covered with the finest sand-coloured hair, feeling almost like down under his fingers.

He was beautiful. Roy caressed his soft, plump cheek with his index finger, feeling like a clumsy giant compared to the tiny bundle in his arms. The baby opened his eyes, scanning the room curiously, the toothless mouth already trying to form words unknown to others. The green eyes completed their wondering to his eyes, sharing the first eye contact with him. They were beautiful as well, almost almond-shaped with large irises, the black pupils only intensifying the colour.

Green?

Roy looked up, his eyes meeting with his wife's. He understood that the baby hadn't inherited his red hair because the red colour was recessive to almost all colours, including blonde. But they both had blue eyes. Had he been their baby he would've had blue eyes.

Not green.

"But Peach…" Roy held the child in his hands, the green eyes half-closed, the tiny hands looking for something to grab. "This isn't my child."

"What?" She glared at him, sticking out her arms to get the baby back.

Roy's smile was soft yet extremely melancholy. He let the boy grab his finger, the plump fingers took a firm grip as the toothless mouth curved to a soft smile. "I'd know my blood."

"How can you say that about your own son?" Peach shouted. She demanded the child back with her hands.

"How can you explain that he has green eyes? According to Mendel's laws it's impossible for him to have green eyes if he's our child." Roy spoke softly, closing his eyes. It wasn't possible. It was crazy, it was absurd. He couldn't have been fooled by her for nine months, believed her lies enough to marry her.

"You're crazy! That's crazy talk!" She waved her hands, trying to reach to slap him.

"No." Roy said calmly. "If this child was ours it would have blue eyes since our eye colour is a recessive colour unlike brown, green and grey."

"Prove that!"

"Anyone who's studied medicine can tell you that." Roy gave the child gently to her, giving it one last gentle gaze. Whoever was the child's father was lucky to have such a beautiful bundle of joy.

Peach trembled with rage. The child in her arms stopped smiling, looking at her with wide eyes. It was scared, too young to understand what was happening. "How am I supposed to take care of it then? You're my husband, you should still take care of it!"

"I married you only because I thought you were pregnant with my child. And since you aren't, I'm taking a divorce." Roy ascertained. He was too confused to be angry. He was too confused to feel anything at all. Everything he had done in the past nine months had disappeared, become unimportant. But he was too proud, even foolishly proud. He would never let anyone know he made the wrong decisions.

"You can't!" Peach screamed. "I'll never let you!"

"I'm not taking it the legal way." Roy turned away to leave. "I'm taking it through death." He left the room, leaving Peach on the hospital bed with the child in her hands. Jack entered the room, taking the child from her and greeting it, his child. Not having any idea about what had just happened, he was happy to be with his family. But when he tried to speak to Peach, she only stared in front of her with teary eyes. Whatever it was that made her like that had something to do with her husband. Jack couldn't force himself to ask what it was. Only moments later the child began crying in a heart-breaking manner.

Chill and Link rushed into the hospital, Link knowing too well that Roy was accompanying Peach just nearby. They ran to the corridor where Peach's room was, only to be stopped by an explosion. The red flames burst through the door to the corridor, blasting the door into tiny pieces. Black smoke spilled to their faces, the smell of burnt wood and plastic forcing them cough. Chill took a hold of Link's shirt, closing his eyes so that the smoke wouldn't irritate them. Link looked into the room, seeing no one there, but he couldn't be sure because the smoke was making his eyes smart.

Instead of running into the room where the bomb had exploded he walked past it to the room where Peach was. Chill tried to pull him back, but he shook him off. The silver-haired boy shouted something after him. He didn't hear, he had seen Peach and a blonde boy kissing in her hospital room.

He didn't need to be a genius or a tactician or even a psychologist to count one plus one. There was one too much. He opened the door, the boy jerking away from Peach as if he had been stabbed in the back. She looked at him with wide eyes, a glint of madness catching into them.

"Where's Roy?" He asked, genuine worry shining in his eyes. He knew Roy almost too well; he was prone to overreact.

Peach smiled devilishly. "He went to file a divorce."

"_Where?_" Link almost accosted her, his hands trembling. Roy was too proud to divorce.

"Probably to the roof." She answered sourly. The child in her arms turned to look at him, its green eyes wide. Its world had gone upside down just a few moments after arriving to the world.

The wind pushed Roy towards the edge with its demanding touch, tearing his clothes, provoking him. The grey sky disdained him with its solemn face, sharp raindrops striking him every now and then. It would start raining heavily again later.

The thoughts of moving away with Peach to start a new life with their family had died inside of him. He wasn't a father. He had never been a father. He had been deceived in most cruel of ways. His fatherly care had burnt into a pile of ashes to be sprinkled on his already atrophied heart in memory of love.

He had pushed Link away. He had abandoned his love for a child that hadn't even been his. He had mutilated Link, hurt him by words, crushed his heart too painfully too many times. And he had his pride. Once he had made a decision he was going to stick to it. He had decided to stand by his wife and son until the very end. But the end had come much sooner than what he had expected. He had come to the culminating point of his crescendo, needing to make the decision of either going higher or descend.

He stood at the railing of the balcony, looking down at the traffic below. It was early afternoon, just between the biggest rush hours. Only a few cars moved up and down the road, a few people were walking on the street, probably elderly citizens. He sighed. The trees somewhere below him seemed to sigh in unison with him.

The railing was easy to climb over, the wind still pushing him from behind. It wanted him to let go, be guided by it. Roy sighed. His hands didn't want to let go. His heart was more than ready to apologise. It was his mind that was forcing him to obey.

He took a deep breath, trying to relax as he let go of the railing. His crescendo would end in a big, wet splat.

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Thank you for reading and you know I love your reviews! Only one more chapter left and I promise, I'll do my best to finish it soon! And that's why it's important for me to know if you want a sequel!

Happy (belated) Holidays, everyone!


	45. Parliamo al Singolare Part 05 Got a Mome

Well, I'm not dead. My email has expired so I lost all my contacts as well. I'm really sorry about that and the fact that this hasn't been to my beta PsychoSwordLady, but let's hope you can follow the story to the bitter end. I'm sorry I haven't had the time to answer any reviews but I'm working on that. However, I don't want to keep you waiting any longer than you've had to. So start reading because THE GRAND FINALE is here!

Happy holidays everyone!

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**EPISODE 09: Parliamo al Singolare Part 05 Got a Moment?**

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There were smoke, shouts and surprised looks.

Chill looked into the room, but his mind wasn't there in the chaos. It wasn't there in the blackened room full of cinder, twisted and melted iron, burning cotton. He couldn't smell the smoke of dying fire, hear the shouts of those who extinguished it, feel them bumping into him. He just stood there, unable to comprehend what was happening. His chest felt warm, his mind wouldn't concentrate, his eyes smarted with the tears he held back, Link had brought the horror back to his mind to haunt him. It was almost contrary to his original plan in which he would've charmed Link by luring him with hints and acting reticent.

But the elf's blue eyes, they had been too honest, too caring for him. He wasn't used to that. He hadn't thought he would receive so much sympathy from someone he had known for such a short while only. It wasn't supposed to be that way. He was supposed to be in control of all things; love, pain, hatred. But love refused to be tamed. It made him angry.

The same old bubbly feeling, adrenaline rushing into his veins like a herd of enraged bulls.

And with anger the images flowed into his mind. He could hear his own voice, the child's voice he had still beared back then, stalking Johnson on his way home at night. How n_o_t even one compassionate thought towards the teacher had passed through his mind. The fury had devoured all of his human feelings, leaving nothing but itself alive inside of him. Back then he had justified his anger by revenge; revenge for the virginity Johnson had so cruelly stolen from him in the school bathroom. It had been his purgatory, Johnson's demise would've been his salvation. It was almost funny how it had been all that had mattered, even to the point of destroying his own humanity.

Then his moment had come. A gang of young men had been on their way home through the same alley Johnson had been walking home, talking to each other carelessly. He had trotted behind Johnson and kicked his behind as hard as he had been able to, knowing the reaction it would cause. Johnson had turned around in a flash, just as he had expected, kicked him back in a fit of uncontrollable fury. He had taken the hit, suffered the pain and turned on his act. The foot had hit his nose; he had deftly stuck out his face to receive the blow to get the maximum damage. Pleased by the bleeding nose he had gained, he had begun to cry in a heartbreaking way.

The gang of young men had noticed the scene, one of them consulting his friends before they had begun walking towards Johnson and him. Chill had lied on the ground, looking as wounded as he could, yowling in fear and pain. The men had glanced at him; he had acted flinching and panicking as if he had been scared that they would hurt him as well. One of them had come to comfort him while the others had started to beat up Johnson. Maybe they had taken a few beers because it had seemed so easy to start manhandling him. Chill had gasped as the one trying to comfort him touched him, keeping up his terrific act.

Ah, it had all been so easy.

Johnson had screamed. Sounds of punches landing on his ageing body had filled the empty street. Blood had splattered on Chill; he had flinched like so many times before. It had been hard to keep up the act because the violence had been so entertaining. Never after that had he enjoyed violence in the same manner. He had been getting his revenge with almost no effort at all; soon he was about to make it final.

The young men had manhandled Johnson badly. When they had stopped hitting and kicking him he had looked like a wet rag in a puddle of blood. An old, rugged punching bag. Boo-hoo. Chill had sat up, afraid that they had managed to kill him and his revenge had been ruined. He had looked at the motionless body incessantly, waiting for a sign of life. He hadn't even breathed.

Johnson had coughed, it had sounded wet with all the blood he had been spitting out.

Chill had sighed in relief. The men had tried to ask him to come with them, but he had refused. He had calmed down his act to reassure them that he had been capable of walking home alone. He had even lied that he lived only a block away, sadly to the exact opposite direction than where the men had been headed.

They had left, ignorant of his plans. He had got up, wiping his nose on his sleeve and pulling the cannula from his pocket. It had flashed in the dim light from the lamp-posts. Johnson had lied on the ground, looking small like a human, a teacher stepped down from his throne. His dignity was now gone, his superiority had been broken, not one shard of the old powerful teacher was left in the sad little human being whining with a husky, blood-filled voice. He was like a rabbit in front of the gun's pipe. The dark eyes were glazed with fear, his lips trembled, the rest of the body was frozen with terror.

"How the mighty have fallen." Chill had ascertained with a pitying look on his face as he turned the poor, bloody man around, searching for the right spot in the back of his neck. When he had found it among the hair and sticky, already coagulating blood he had stricken. Johnson's whines had ceased immediately. The eyes, when Chill had gazed into them for one final time, had been glassy as if he had never been nothing more than a doll.

Dionne's worried hug brought him back to reality. No. It wasn't the hug, it was the perfume. Very similar to the one his mother had used before he had run away. He had already forgotten the emotions of that time, the way he had allowed himself to become unemotional and calculative. He was sure he was better off that way but love had pushed through his barrier, bringing him back.

He glared at Dionne, her perfect make-up and sad green eyes, annoyed by her sudden closeness. He didn't like people touching him. It originated from Johnson forcing himself on him that he couldn't stand sudden touches. Most people found closeness friendly and affectionate, but he flinched every time, remembering those horrible cold hands grasping his tiny waist.

"Any…idea where this came from?" He asked, wiping his sleeves as if she could have contaminated him with something lethal. The school bathroom stayed on his mind, it had been so cold and hard, covered with tiny spots of blood from the hits he had taken a moment before. Chill took a deep breath. "I might be overestimating you, but try. Amuse me."

Dionne ignored him, wiping the corner or her painted eye with a fake nail full of small jewels. She took a trembling step into the blackened room, looking at it with sad eyes. The jewellery on her wrists jingled as she moved, her big hippie-earrings swung back and forth like pendulums. Her voice quivered a little as she spoke: "She could've been here… when it went off."

Chill dug the pack of cigarettes from his pocket nonchalantly, offering her a cigarette, which she took with gratitude. He said nothing before he had lit both of the cigarettes and ruminated his for a brief while: "Explosions, poisoning, cutting throats… someone really doesn't want you to have a baby. Just pointing out in case you can't get the drift."

Dionne wiped her eye with the fake nail again. It didn't help keeping the tears inside, but by blinking repeatedly she managed to swallow them. Casually she dug her lipstick and a small mirror from her Gucci-bag and painted her lips while checking if her make-up was still perfect. "Who could? And why us? It only started when Aisha got pregnant…"

"Oh, it did?" Chill asked with a slightly amused tone, raising one curious eyebrow. He was concentrating on the moment, the bathroom was starting to disappear from his mind. "Say, Dionne, are you familiar with Panacod?"

"Oh yes. I used to get it for Aisha for her pains."

"Did you see her actually taking it?" Chill bit his lower lip, avoiding eye contact with her.

"No, why?"

Chill continued to be nonchalant. Smoke escaped from his mouth in irregular strings as he spoke: "The forensics lab found out Nehanda had taken almost an overdose of Panacod just before she was killed."

"You mean, someone had tried to make it look like suicide?" Dionne asked with wide eyes.

"Follow me." Chill said smugly as he threw his cigarette on the hospital floor and stepped on it. "I know who did this."

He walked away with an indifferent expression on his face, leaving Dionne ponder his words. He couldn't understand why the old memories had come back to haunt him. He had always been able to smother them, forget them and hide them, but not now. He could still hear Johnson screaming at him for breaking the school code of conduct. He dug out another cigarette with trembling hands, hoping that no one saw him lose control. Dionne didn't stay still for long, the words the midget had spoken needed clarification and she was going to ask directly for it from him. She didn't ask for him to wait for her, only walked faster and with the shortening intervals of the heels pinking against the floor Chill knew she was coming.

As Dionne opened the double doors leading to the hall where were the lifts Marth got into bed. Vyse was already sound asleep. He put the blanket on the brunette, sighing with a gentle gaze in his eyes. They had known each other for only a short while, yet they had gone through so much. He caressed the brown hair. Vyse smiled through his sleep, letting out a long, enjoyed breath.

"I love you so much I could die for you." Marth whispered into his ear.

Vyse's smile grew wider. In his dream of fame as a singer he saw Marth with him on the stage, enjoying the popularity with him. Future seemed bright. He had already written a song, he just needed to find someone to record it. The noble pulled the blanket over him and turned around. The moon was full and bright, not a single cloud tried to veil it into darkness.

Meanwhile Aisha held the most beautiful of babies in her hands. The child slept peacefully, resting its head on her bosom. She was looking at the baby with a tender look, caressing the round head with her fingers. The skin was so soft, so pure, so different from what she had ever touched before. It seemed as if she was afraid of breaking the tiny bundle if she caressed its head too forcefully. She shone some strange kind of light, the kind of light that can be seen only in the mothers of newborn babies. She had produced the perfect being, maybe it was perfect only in her eyes, but she didn't care. She would pour all her love on this fantastic being, she would protect it from all the bad things in the world, she would watch it grow and rejoice for the rest of her life.

"You have _got _to be kidding!" Exclaimed Dionne as she followed Chill through the corridor, trying to slap him. Aisha neither heard nor felt anything. In her world there was nothing but her and the child, the embodiment of divinity.

Chill grinned. "I sure am not. She killed her." He took a cigarette and lit it with his left hand, making a concentrated face as if lighting a cigarette took a lot of skill. Actually he was just playing time, holding Dionne's attention.

Aisha still didn't look up.

Dionne tried to slap Chill, but he dodged. She grabbed whatever she could to hurt him. Medical equipment worth of thousands of dollars crashed into tiny pieces. Chill suffered not one strike. Rage was making her miss.

"Dionne! Stop trying to kill him!" Aisha finally said, her dark eyes piercing the blonde.

Dionne dropped whatever she was holding at the sound of her voice. "Darling", she uttered softly as she began towards her.

"I killed her."

"Wh--?" Dionne stared at her. Chill ruminated on his cigarette while looking out of the window. The moon sure was beautiful. "Killed who?"

"The woman. And myself."

Dionne's eyes widened: "WHAT!? You motherf--"

Aisha looked at her: "It's funny… I didn't want this baby until now. You wanted it. But look at how beautiful she is… so perfect. Even if her father was so hideous."

"What?"

"Her father is also Chika's father. I had to keep her and him separated…"

Chill kept looking at the sky. Strangely no stars could be seen. "Mr. Eberhardt...?" Dionne shook with disgust, her eyes switching between the baby and its mother.

"Exactly." Aisha said.

"So it was you who killed Nehanda", Chill ascertained.

"Yes." Aisha admitted after a brief silence. "I tried to make her overdose at first, just to scare, but… but I forgot she was a med student. She thought I was going to kill her and tried to kill me so I had to defend myself. I hadn't meant for it to go that far, it just did. I just didn't want Chika to stay in contact with her father after what I did… in jail he wouldn't have been able to ruin our life, Dionne!"

Chill leaned his head. He could solve codes and mathematic problems with ease, but the human minds was too complicated a puzzle for him. Dionne couldn't say anything either. She just stared at her girlfriend in amazement and horror, unable to say anything. She couldn't digest the fact that her lover had killed someone. She still loved Aisha, it was her actions she didn't approve of and she wasn't sure if she could ever sleep peacefully next to her again, knowing that she was a murderer.

Aisha looked at him calmly, still caressing her child. Fate was indeed cruel, she thought. The child she had given birth to only to keep her girlfriend happy had stolen her heart despite its father. Chill was the first to say something:

"Do you understand you just confessed and will go to jail?"

Aisha blinked. "Oh, the irony."

Dionne left, without uttering a word. She just couldn't. She needed time to ruminate all that had happened, somewhere far away. Maybe her mother would like it if she came over for a fortnight to pick up the pieces of her broken heart. She hit the wall angrily with her fist, her jewellery jingling as Link grabbed Roy's ankle with a strong grip, strengthened by fear of losing him and anger towards his selfishness. He, for the first time in his life, had the strength to throw Roy on the balcony by using only one hand.

It sounded awul.

The general hit the cement roof with a thud, letting out a scared gasp. He recovered quickly from the initial shock, preparing to protect himself. In a flash he turned around, his red messy hair in contrast with the blue eyes shining with fear and surprise. He trembled. He had no idea what had happened, he was just acting on instinct.

A part of Link wanted to run to him and hug him but the angry part smothered his loving side for the moment. He felt bigger, stronger; in control. He was the one to be listened, he had suffered for far too long. He had taken hit after hit, swallowing all the pain and torture, listening and trying to reason, but nothing had helped. Now it was time to end it all. Instead of his usual soothing, gentle, loving words anger flooded his mouth, letting out only: "What the hell do you think you're doing!?"

"Who are you to question my actions!?" Roy answered, grimacing from pain. He answered Link's anger with anger, as usual. He was frightened, unable to tell whether he was dead or alive and the best way to protect himself was to offend. He wiped his nose only to discover that hitting the roof had caused blood to rush out of his nose. "You broke my nose!!"

"I am someone who loves you!" Link said accusingly, harshly. He couldn't care less about the nosebleed. With every step towards Roy the general's eyes widened. Whether it was from fear of getting hurt or surprise from seeing the elf so angry, Link couldn't say. Only when he was about to embrace him, the redhead shrieked:

"Don't _touch _me!"

They both knew that with yelling they'd get nowhere. It was just so much easier to be angry.

After a brief silence Link took a hold of Roy's hand as an apology, the redhead pulled it away. The general trembled, hugged himself for warmth while biting his lower lip, every once in a while glancing at the elf. His face was pale, his skin on goose bumps, his hair a mess. It was impossible to read his mind from his face, it seemed like the general himself didn't know what to do or think. Link tried to calm down, at least Roy was alive. Frightened to the verge of death, but still on the side of the living. He would get nowhere by accosting the redhead, he would only become more anxious, more frightened and more furious. For a while they sat there quietly on the roof, the cold rain soaking their clothes, its frozen breath freezing to their bones.

Finally Roy looked at Link and said with a broken voice: "What I do with my life belongs to _me _only."

"You're just being selfish." Link ascertained, not looking at him. Anger gnawed his soul like a wild animal, wanting to burst out. With effort he managed to maintain his countenance. Roy was just so unbelievably selfish, stubborn and proud. He couldn't understand why he was in love with him.

"Wh-what?" Roy snorted, holding his nose with his both hands. In a normal situation Link would've made fun of the way his voice sounded, but right now he didn't find it funny at all.

"Think about the pain you'll inflict by throwing yourself over that railing." The elf hissed through his teeth, clenching his fists. Breathing felt hard, so angry he was. He couldn't believe he needed to explain this to Roy.

"It'd pass soon." Was the blatant reply.

"Would it?" Link grabbed his chin and wouldn't let go, forcing an eye contact. Roy grimaced, maybe his grip was too strong. "Would it, Roy?"

Roy closed his eyes, his whole being shaking in the cold and with the tears bottled up inside. The pain he had hid, the soul withering, the heart broken were revealed as his mask of calmness, superb self control slowly fell apart like porcelain, its bits and pieces the final drops of his pride. The blood from his nose trickled down freely, falling on his shirt in big, dark red drops.

Link's hug was warm, although his gaze blamed him a little. Roy cast his eyes on the ground, tears streaming down his cheeks. He was so numb of the pain that crying felt like nothing at all. His loud sobs disappeared into Link's shirt. Desperately he clung onto hiss pullover, as if he would've died had he let go. His will to live had won his pride. Or maybe the one to triumph had been love.

Link asked no questions. There would be a time for them later, now what mattered was that Roy was alive. His anger dissolved like clouds after a heavy rain. The general's sobs washed away his fury. They proved that Roy regretted all he had done from the very first flirt with Peach to his final attempt of escaping the world. To Link it was a relief.

Days passed. Then weeks and months. The moment on the roof was starting to be forgotten. There were just so many other things to think about, too much work and worry. And maybe they were attempting to obliterate all that had happened after Cosworth Street. Roy opened the door leading to their cramped office with his hands full of paperwork, the dust hanging in the air as a soft cloud:

"Got a moment?"

"Always for you", Link answered, focused in reading the papers in his hand. "As long as it's not work." he continued.

"Well", Roy could feel how the red rose on his face. "It really isn't."

Link lifted his eyes from the papers immediately, pausing for a second. The homicide could wait. The dead weren't going to go anywhere. Roy felt highly uncomfortable under his gaze, the elf's cerulean eyes scrutinizing him. His face felt hot, his hands looked for the hem of his shirt to fiddle. Oh, how embarrassing it was! He still wasn't used to any of this.

Link walked to him slowly, pulling him into a warm and gentle hug. The traffic hummed outside just like before, the smell of coffee floated in the air, the clock ticked on the wall quietly. Link felt calm, calmer than ever before. He had fought for his love and had triumphed. Now nothing could take his happiness away from him.

"Finally." He whispered, taking a deep, relieved breath. Roy pressed against him, wordlessly expressing his happiness.

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It's finally over. There'll be some bittersweet posting on my homepage... Anyway, all I need to do is to hope that you liked it and that you'll review. You too, ghost readers!

Thank you so much for your support throughout this story everyone! It's been a long journey and without you this story would've remained unfinished! Happy holidays to you all!


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